


Naturally

by pretense



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 22:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/984541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretense/pseuds/pretense
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka is red-faced, utterly refusing to speak to Rin who's making grand expositions on why of course Haruka's in love with Makoto. And he really should just confess before someone else asks Makoto out... again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9524436/1).

Haruka is a natural in most things. His passion for swimming comes from a deep, near-instinctive desire to be with the water, the skills he learned from actual swim school training contributed but little to his true prowess. Haruka never really thought the rudimentary rules were necessary compared with the freedom of having the water mold itself around his slim form, carrying him like a mother holds her infant against her bosom. The only reason he underwent the training program is because Makoto was eager to learn, eager to share in this thing called swimming that made Haru-chan smile like nothing else.

The arts are another thing.

The second his parents saw some promise in him being an artist, they had him signed up for summer classes faster than he can say "water." The culprit was a doodle of a dolphin on the corner of his notebook but that somehow led to two summer months wasted in an art studio instead of the sports center's indoor pool. Haruka sees drawing more as a hobby, something to pass the time until he can get into the water, his true love. Besides, the one time Makoto attempted to tag along to his arts class, the guy spent the whole hour just ogling everyone else's work. And when the teacher finally got Makoto to sit down and do his own drawing... well... it turned out more of an abstract piece. Suffice to say, the only uplifting thing Haruka would've gotten in arts class (spending time with Makoto) was shot down instantly and that same day he told his parents he'd really rather go swimming. His grandmother backed him up, saying that his parents really should let Haruka delve into his real passion instead of what his parents think is more profitable.

He's been swimming ever since but the drawing habit stayed.

For a water-lover, one would expect his sketchpad to be filled with seascapes and similar scenery but Haruka actually prefers drawing human figures. Something about the solidity of its form and composition appealed to him, like a stabilizing breath of air from the fluid temperament of his beloved water.

"Ha – ru – chan~"

Haruka looks up, blurred vision focusing on the open palm held out to him. He's in his bathtub again, isn't he? And Makoto's presence only means that he's in danger of being late again.

Makoto doesn't look worried, though. Not even close to exasperated at having to do this every morning. He wears a sunny mien like this chore is the best part of his day. "Let's get you to school..." He inclines his head to the right, a fuller smile blooming on him.

For a second Haruka merely stares at Makoto's easy expression, then his eyes drop to the proffered hand. Makoto has nice hands – long fingers, soft palms calloused at certain niches, generating warmth that Haruka finds near impossible to resist. He slides his wet hand into Makoto's, feeling the familiar spread of heat running up his arm, swirling around his face before coating his chest all the way down to his toes.

Makoto has a towel ready for him and Haruka takes it to dry himself – at the very least, he doesn't need to trouble Makoto with that.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought you some breakfast," Makoto says as he exits the bathroom to give Haruka privacy to change. He keeps talking though and Haruka can hear the smile in his voice. "It's Ama-sensei's birthday, remember? We're supposed to help with decorating the room, so we better get to school early. You can eat on the way and..."

Haruka listens (hears, more like) because it'll be rude not to but at the same time, his mind barely registers anything save for how he can't exactly pinpoint a time now when he didn't have Makoto by his side. How did he ever land himself such a nice friend? Haruka wonders as he buttons up his uniform. The warm, soothing feeling that Makoto's presence brings settles comfortably in his belly and it gives Haruka the strangest drive.


	2. Chapter 2

Amakata is pleased by the class' surprise that she decides not to follow her lesson plan for the day. Instead of burying their noses in texts written by long-dead poets, they're allowed to party – albeit in a more toned down way since other classes are still on-going. Food is set up on the teacher's table and Amakata is huddled with the girls, chatting and indulging their questions about her life (Did she have a boyfriend? What was her most romantic date experience? Her hair is so glossy, what shampoo does she use?)

With nothing else to do Haruka brings out his sketchbook, the sharpened tip of his pencil tapping at a corner as he negotiates with his muse. Lips pressed together, Haruka gives in, drawing the baselines lightly on paper – a circle at the center, a cross-section on top of it, and a couple more perpendicular lines to get the basic shape of a bust. Makoto glances over from his seat beside Haruka, trying to be unobtrusive even though he knows that Haruka knows he's watching him.

Makoto's undulating attention is... distracting.

Normally, Haruka is immune to Makoto's constant staring; he's grown well-versed in tuning out the taller teen's nonsensical musings especially when they don't particularly concern him. But there are also times (though not quite often) where Haruka gets impossibly attuned to Makoto's every movement, noticing every absent twitch of those hands and even the slightest pull of a pout. He doesn't mind those times as much because those are when he  _knows_  Makoto needs him without having to hear it from the other. And then, there are times like this... when Haruka inexplicably can't stand Makoto hovering so close.

His hands stop moving, blue eyes flicking up at Makoto who is expectantly staring back. Haruka's cheeks heat up when Makoto does that head-tilt-smile again. He usually doesn't mind Makoto watching him draw. Unlike most artists who get self-conscious when people look over their shoulder, Haruka finds it easier to ignore the attention given to him; that is, until the onlookers start bothering him by asking questions, then he'll just walk away and find a more peaceful spot to draw. Makoto has always been the exception, though.

"What are you drawing today, Haru?" Makoto asks, examining the page with a mellowed mix of admiration and curiosity.

 _You. I want to draw you_ , Haruka thinks, details of olive hair and lively green eyes jumping at him, making his hand itch to start creating but what comes out of his mouth is "I'm not sure yet..."

Makoto hums, accepting the answer. He picks up the near-empty bowl of seaweed-flavored chips sitting on his desk; since Amakata is in charge of their homeroom class, everyone is mostly full from breakfast so the food they prepared consists mainly of light snacks. He offers the small paper bowl (the whole of it fit neatly on his palm) to Haruka who politely declines. Shrugging, Makoto finishes his food, eyes absently going over the teacher's table to see if there is anything more to eat. Spotting the tray of Amakata's remaining birthday cupcakes, Makoto's face brightens. "I'm going to get more food. Want me to get you anything?"

"Not really," Haruka replies, still quietly studying Makoto's features – the line of his jaw, the ridge of his nose, his cheekbones, his ears.

Makoto's looks are nothing outstanding, Haruka notes, not out of malice but of plain observation. His height may seem intimidating but the perpetually friendly smile on him easily brings people's attention away from the former. The innate kindness he possesses shows through with his lax posture and calming gaze.

Haruka watches Makoto stand up and head for the snacks, chatting with some of their classmates along the way. When he finally manages to drag his eyes away, it's to find his hand already tracing out a familiar smile on the lower half of a facial structure he couldn't remember sketching. Haruka blinks, the loud clap of a heartbeat resounding in his chest for a split-second before he decides to go along with it. He fills out the details – eyes, brows, a nose on the center. Haruka pauses midway in the arch of an ear, looking up when he hears Makoto's laughter.

Over at the teacher's table, two girls have latched themselves to his best friend – one on each arm. They're dragging him over to where Amakata is standing with another of his girl classmates, this one blushing 'til the tips of her ears were red.

"Tachibana-kun," one of the girls pulling at his arm says. "Kaname-chan wants to ask you something..."

 _Oh_?

From the looks on the other girls surrounding Amakata, Haruka can already guess what the girl is going to say. Normally, Haruka doesn't care about these things but Makoto's involvement makes him unable to look away.

Makoto stands in front of Amakata and Kaname (Kaname... Something... Haruka can't remember her first name), holding two cupcakes on a small paper plate in one hand. The girls have let go of his arms and he now pockets his free hand, appearing aloof even though the whole class' attention is on him. "Er, you called?" He looks between their teacher and classmate, the latter still red-faced and even trembling a little from what Haruka can see.

"Tachibana-kun, Kaname-chan has a request," Amakata says, using the hand she has been resting on her student's shoulder to push the girl forward.

Turning towards Kaname, Makoto offers an encouraging smile. "Okay. What is it you wanted to ask, Kaname-chan?"

"Um," the flustered girl starts, shaky hands fisted in the hem of her blazer. "T-There's this movie coming out this weekend. It's from that manga I remembered you liked back in middle school and, um... See, my dad works at the cinema so I always get tickets to the premiere nights so..." Kaname clears her throat softly, looking past her bangs to meet Makoto's eyes. "I was wondering if you'd like to see it w-with me."

Haruka doesn't even realize his grip has slackened until he hears the thin clatter of wood on the floor. His pencil has slipped out of his hand and the sound it makes, while admittedly minute, brings a few gazes his way; Makoto's included. Their eyes lock for a second before Haruka breaks contact in favor of picking up his pencil from the floor. Its graphite tip had broken from the fall and Haruka uses that as an excuse to walk to the back of the room (away from the commotion) where he can sharpen the instrument in relative isolation.

From the barely contained glee in the "Thank you, Tachibana-kun!" that fills the room, Haruka isn't surprised to find their other male classmates giving Makoto slaps on the back. Makoto is scratching at his cheek, holding the plate of cupcakes secure as he makes his way across the room. Haruka thinks it's weird to see Makoto look embarrassed but then he spots the sketchbook he'd left open on his desk – the panic that rises in his chest completely drains the what dry humor he once found in the situation. Rushing to his seat, Haruka grabs the pad and shuts it quick just as Makoto settles in the adjacent seat.

Makoto's expression is sheepish when he looks at Haruka who now wears his trusty mask of indifference to hide the strange brew of emotions swirling in him. "So, um, that happened..." Makoto puts the paper plate down on his desk, the cupcakes still intact – the fondant face of the school mascot is meticulously set right at the center of the blue and white ring of icing.

"This is for you." Makoto transfers one cupcake to Haruka's desk when the dark-haired teen doesn't comment. He acts like getting asked out in front of the whole class is no big deal, and...

Haruka blinks. It  _is_  no big deal; at least, it should be. The flat sugar rendition of Iwatobi-kun is staring at him like it's waiting for him to realize what that was supposed to mean.

"Haru?"

Concern laces the call of his name, making Haruka look up to find Makoto's hand inches away from his face. Startled, Haruka promptly leans away; the look on him must've been hilarious because Makoto follows that up with a chuckle.

"I could've gotten one myself," Haruka mumbles, inwardly irritated at how petulant he sounded.

Still, Makoto only smiles, carrying the conversation towards lighter topics - like the swim team's practice later on.


	3. Chapter 3

Walking home, Haruka's face is set towards the ocean. There's a sated feeling deep in his bones after spending a good two hours in the club's pool but the expanse of water glowing invitingly like honey makes his fingers twitch towards the buttons of his uniform.

Makoto's arm brushes against his and Haruka is confused as to why it registers so keenly at that moment. This has been the way they always walked, be it crowded streets or empty shorelines – Makoto would always be right beside him. The rolling waves and the squawk of seabirds fills in the void that is usually occupied by the brunet's chatter and Haruka is shaken by his late realization of its absence.

Surreptitiously glancing over, Haruka finds Makoto staring at the ground as they traverse the familiar path; footsteps completely in sync even without any conscious effort. Silence from Makoto's end is concerning enough on its own, even more so considering how genial he'd been at practice just an hour ago.

Haruka stops and wets his lips, his mind a complete blank save for the nagging notion that he needs to break this new brand of silence between them. He's surprised when Makoto pauses as well – almost automatically, in fact – the second that Haruka's shadow leaves his side; one foot is half raised to bring himself forward but his whole body is still like invisible strings are holding it in place. Makoto inclines his head to look back at Haruka, an undecipherable expression on him, bangs (highlighted orange by the setting sun) blowing over his guarded eyes. Those eyes never had any reason to conceal Makoto's true feelings, especially not towards Haruka, but now they apparently do and it's making Haruka doubt himself a little more.

"Haru?" Makoto is the one that breaks the silence, brows arching in concern as he turns to face Haruka properly. He doesn't make assumptions, the look in his eyes clearing until Haruka can see his own reflection in them but he doesn't want that superficial view.

He wants answers but the questions won't come. Moreover, Haruka doesn't think he's in any place to question anything when he can't even understand what the  _thump thump thump_  of his heartbeat is supposed to mean. The pace is normal, nothing's changed in his physiology, but he just  _knows_ that there's something different now. He can't help but think that it's related to how Makoto is acting uncharacteristically aloof beside him. Haruka eventually shakes his head, a small sigh slipping past his lips. "Nothing. Sorry." He moves on, Makoto following after a split-second, stumbling to catch up with the jerky movements of a marionette.

The rest of the way home is quieter but Haruka doesn't mind it as much as he did before; mainly because his mind is now whirring with thoughts. He goes straight for the front door with only a customary wave goodbye in Makoto's direction. There's no study session today because Makoto has to pick up his younger siblings.

Haruka's bedroom is draped with shadows, curtains drawn tight over the window overlooking the street outside. He drops his bag on the bed, stripping down until he's just in his swim trunks. His after-school bath ritual needs honoring and his thoughts are always better reviewed when he's in his comfort zone.

It's some time past seven when Haruka finally drags himself out of the bathtub, skin a little pruney but otherwise whole. His thoughts have been untangled in the hours spent submerged in water but not enough to put all his worries to rest. Drying up and putting on more appropriate clothes, Haruka trudges to the kitchen to whip up a quick meal which he then brings into his room. He has homework that needs doing and he dutifully pulls out the stack of notebooks and worksheets from his bag. Alternating between taking a bite of dinner and filling out the answers, Haruka eventually makes his way to the bottom of the pile only to pause and stare.

His sketchbook lays innocently on the tabletop. Haruka hasn't had the heart to open it again ever since homeroom that morning but now is looking to be a good time to reassess it. He flips through pages of inked drawings until he reaches the latest, the work in progress. The graphite rendition of his best friend's smile, eyes trained on something unseen within the page's border, unnerves him for the reason that it gets him smiling back.

Haruka stops the second he realizes what he's doing, brows furrowing as he stares at his drawing with a sudden bout of suspicion. He holds on to the pad when his feet take him over to the cabinet that stores what few art materials that he has. Old sketchbooks line one shelf, dating back to that fateful summer arts class as evidenced by the beginner's guidebooks at the farthest end. This isn't the first time that he's drawn Makoto but something occurs to him, something begging to be realized, as he brings down a couple of the most recent pads.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Haruka browses through more sketches, a lot of them water-themed (swimmers' anatomies, aquatic mammals, and a couple of swim trunk designs thrown in). He skips every page until he lands himself another drawing of Makoto, this one he remembers doing when he was at the Tachibana home last fall. The Makoto on paper is asleep, reading glasses askew, book still open on his lap. Dark ink immortalizes the rendition of late afternoon shadows that give Makoto's serene expression a touch of solemnity, one that Haruka very rarely knows to associate with his best friend. Haruka recalls being caught in the act of drawing this piece by Makoto's younger siblings, it explains why the next page is torn out – it was a quick portraiture work of Ren and Ran that the twins demanded be put up on their bedroom wall. There's another sketch of Makoto further back that Haruka can't exactly plot down the date but can safely assume that it's from their first days as high school freshmen – it has Makoto looking out of a window, pencil poised between his fingers, his hair worn short courtesy of a recent haircut.

Haruka flips through another pad, landing on a page filled with thumbnail studies from even younger years. His style isn't as well-proportioned as it is now but he recognizes the subject all too well. He traces the smiling face with his eyes, the blunt edge of a fingernail giving him a path to follow around the page. Before he even finishes, a chorus of hungry mewls drift in from his open window, reminding Haruka of the neighborhood strays that he has unofficially adopted.

Rising from his seat, Haruka compiles the sketchpads and shelves them, not quite sure what to make of the light churning in his chest as he descends the steps and goes into the kitchen. The answer could've been literally at the tips of his fingers but an invisible blockade is stopping him; Haruka's brain supplies 'for self-defense' but that's ridiculous.

There's nothing about Makoto that scares him, Haruka thinks as he goes out into the garden carrying a customary bowl of milk for the cats. Three of them slink out of the bushes, tails swishing and eyes glowing bright with the high moon. Matter of fact, isn't Makoto the scaredy cat of the group?

Haruka crouches down to pet the furry heads crowding over the shallow bowl. Looking up at the starry sky, he wonders if this oddness will phase out soon enough.


	4. Chapter 4

The oddness has most definitely not phased out.

Haruka feels it in the air, polluting the cold ocean breeze that's seeping into his bones this November morning. There's something off in the way Makoto bemoans Ren and Ran's squabble that apparently had him putting down that library book he wanted to finish last night.

Nagisa and Rei meet up with them at the gates, giving Makoto people to chat with, at least until they reach the sophomores' classroom. Haruka nods them off and continues with Makoto still by his side. He's been doing a lot of thinking on how the dynamics of his and Makoto's relationship –  _friendship_  – work. As far as Haruka can tell, it looks decidedly one-sided. Makoto never complains though and it leaves Haruka wondering why. For such a genial guy like him, finding a new group of friends would be easy and yet he sticks with Haruka, apparently content to while away the empty hours doting on his best friend while everyone else did normal teenager things like going out to movies, karaoke bars, and whatnot.

They settle in their own classroom, arrangement unchanged, and Haruka definitely feels the near-isolationist vibe that's emanating from their corner. Their classmates are amiable most of the time since it's basically a rotation of the same faces ever since grade school, which also means that by now nearly everyone has their standardized group of friends. In Haruka's case, that set happens to be singular but any more and it's going to be troublesome (or so he has convinced himself). Makoto, on the other hand...

Looking over, Haruka isn't surprised to find that Makoto's attention is glued to a book – presumably the one from the library that he hasn't finished the night before. He's staring so intently at it though his eyes are soft and his lips are lifted in a gentle smile. Out of nowhere, Haruka is reminded of days long past, when a younger Makoto would excitedly run over to his house to share with him the latest additions to his shelf – a manga, a light novel, and once, a cookbook.

"What are you reading?" The question breaks the silence between them, drawing Makoto out of the fictional world and into the present. Haruka tries to remain cool, not knowing why he even feels the need to start a seemingly random conversation.

Makoto looks at him curiously, lowering the book instead of just showing the cover to Haruka. His answer, when it comes, is a little stilted. "It's, uh, Byron. Poetry."

Haruka nods, unsure of where to go to from here since he's not really interested, he just... He wonders why he even asked, it's obviously distracting Makoto from his reading but the brunet doesn't appear to be the least bit put off by it. Makoto is still staring at him, though, wearing a look like he's expecting another question and it makes Haruka scramble for something to say.

"Do you want to borrow it?" Makoto offers and Haruka sees that he's only got a few pages left.

"Not really," Haruka replies, looking away. Foreign authors aren't really his thing, poetry much less so. In fact, Haruka isn't interested in reading unless it's required for school. He'd rather swim in the ocean than do most anything so he knows this exchange is ultimately pointless and yet... Haruka feels like he should keep it going. He doesn't know how, though, but years of silence from his end apparently taught Makoto enough to fluidly carry any conversation.

"Do you want me to read it to you, then?" Makoto's eyes glint with amusement.

Haruka's attention snaps back at Makoto for his absurd suggestion. He knows that Makoto reads to his younger siblings before bed, they've had enough sleepovers for Haruka to get used to that nightly ritual and he has on more than one occasion been coerced into voicing a few characters for the twin's enjoyment. Makoto reading to him, however, is just plain unimaginable... and also kind of embarrassing. Haruka must be wearing a funny look on his face because not even a second later, Makoto dissolves into quiet laughter.

Amakata sweeps into the room, flourishing their textbook and everyone takes the cue to settle down. Class starts and Haruka forces the inane thoughts to the back of his mind just as Makoto carefully places the library book back into his bag. For the duration of their morning classes, Haruka determinedly channels all his focus on lectures that bore him out of his mind.

Lunch break rolls around and Haruka gets up from his seat, packed lunch in hand. He's already one foot out of the door when he remembers the promise made to Nagisa and Rei that they'll be eating together at the cafeteria. He makes a move to walk down the right-hand corridor but the call of his name sounding far away stops him in place.

Makoto has a hand raised towards him, loitering by his seat, telling Haruka to go ahead and that he'll catch up. Haruka sees Kaname beside Makoto, looking nervous but hopeful and the sight of it stirs up some unfavorable emotions that Haruka doesn't know what to do with. How in the world did he not even notice her coming up to their corner? Knowing that there isn't anything that can be done about it, however, Haruka just shrugs and walks out, acting like nothing is amiss. The trip down to the cafeteria is vague, even hurried. The next thing he knows, Nagisa and Rei are pulling up seats across from him.

Nagisa is pouting, complaining about Haruka ignoring their calls and making them leave the good spot they've reserved and "Are you feeling okay, Haru-chan? You look... off... Where's Mako-chan?" Big, round amethystine eyes stare curiously at him, demanding honesty in the politest way imaginable.

"He'll be down soon," Haru replies blandly, smoothing his expression into one of deceptive calm. He starts unpacking his lunch and the others do the same.

The cafeteria is abuzz with chatter, muffled ever so slightly between bites of food. Makoto shows up with an apology five minutes later, taking the empty seat beside Haruka.

It's not like there is any sort of tension between them and Haruka really doesn't like to talk while he's eating anyway but the shared knowledge that Makoto's tardiness is because he made date plans with their classmate makes it a little harder to swallow food on Haruka's end. It's starting to get annoying, noticing all these little details wherein Makoto proves himself to be a more or less permanent (if not defining) feature in even the most menial part of Haruka's day to day activities.

Rei puts down his chopsticks, addressing his question to the swim team captain. "Can we be excused from practice tomorrow?" Beside him, Nagisa nods, eyes wide and sparkling in supplication. "We have this group project that needs to get started on since it's due at the end of the month."

"Why don't you schedule that for the morning? You can still attend practice in the afternoon," Makoto suggests. It's the middle of tournament season after all. They're a decent team but they need to follow their rigorous practice routine if they want to maintain their standing. "Or how about we move the practice to morning instead?"

Nagisa opens his mouth to reply when Gou stops by their table, a decided look on her face. "Practice tomorrow is cancelled," is all she says, nodding once and not even meeting anyone's eyes before promptly turning around.

"Wait, what?" Makoto is surprised because out of everyone in the group, Gou is the last person they'd expect to call off a practice session. "Why so suddenly?"

"I'm not complaining," Nagisa beams.

"No particular reason," Gou talks over the blond's words, flippant laughter segueing into her next statement. "We can just make up for it by adding thirty more minutes to our training everyday after school next week."

Nagisa's expression sours almost immediately at the declaration. "But Gou-chan~" He looks towards the other members of the team for support but no one else seems to be affected. Rei's glasses gleam when he gives an affirmative nod and there's nothing to be questioned on Makoto's complacent smile. Haruka... well, the most they can get out of him is a brief shift of the eyes towards Gou followed by a voiceless sigh.

"Alright then," Gou concludes, ponytail bouncing as she heads off. "I'll see you guys later."

Haruka drinks his water, a passing notion that everyone else seems to have a plan for tomorrow floats in his mind. He tries not to think of how little effort Makoto has shown in resisting the cancellation.

Saturday dawns to find Haruka tangled in his sheets, void of dreams and other disturbances. He wakes with no particular agenda for the day, breathing in the crisp morning air and getting the urge to go for a run.

His barely used sneakers tap the stone steps to an empty tune as he makes his way down the hill. Haruka takes an old route that doubles as a shortcut to the beach front. The ocean greets him with a salty spray and the calming rhythm of its waves crashing upon the shore. He passes by the Tachibana home on his way back, eyes automatically going to Makoto's room – windows shut and blinds pulled close, Haruka shakes his head at the knowledge that Makoto will probably oversleep until noon again.

So much for planning to reschedule swim practices in the morning, Haruka thinks as he picks up his pace and heads back home. He lays down at the porch by the side garden, catching his breath and letting the warm rays of sunlight comfort him.

It's looking to be one of those blissfully uneventful weekends.

Most of the time, Makoto would drop by – or Haruka would be invited over to the Tachibanas – for lunch. Afternoons would be spent doing their homework and then playing video games in lieu of taking a break. Sometimes, if Haruka drops enough hints, Makoto would give in and let Haruka drag him out to the beach. They'll swim until the sun sets or until whatever curfew it is that Makoto's mom sets for them – usually it's before dinner time.

Haruka receives the weekly call from his parents around three in the afternoon. Same old, same old – checking up on his studies, on the swim club, make sure to buy groceries, clean the house, they'll try to see if they can come home the following week. It ends with customary "Take cares" and Haruka cradles the beeping phone to his ear for a couple of seconds, squashing down an inexplicable urge to call his mom back and tell her Makoto's going on a date.

It defies logic for him to think so much into it knowing that it isn't exactly the first time Makoto has gone out with girls – he counts maybe three or four times in the past, with months in between them and no second dates as far as he knows. Makoto did try to get Haruka to join a group date once but Haruka's stubborn refusal ended in Makoto not going to the party either.

Troublesome thoughts never lead to anything good so Haruka puts down his phone by the night stand and heads into the bathroom for a good soak. The sky outside his window is dimming by the time Haruka gets out and goes looking for proper clothes. He's thinking of ordering take out when his phone starts buzzing, breaking the droning silence.

 _Matsuoka Rin calling..._  the blinking screen informs him. Haruka puts it on loudspeaker, not really fond of having the phone anywhere near his still-wet hair.

"About time you answered!" Rin's irate voice fills the room. "I've been trying to reach you for hours!"

"What do you want?" Haruka pulls out a pair of underwear, closet doors wide open.

"I need your help," Rin says. "Meet me at the yogurt shop on the street corner across the mall."

Picking out a faded t-shirt, Haruka replies, "I'm busy."

"Hah, as if."

Haruka can almost see those pointy teeth exposed in a knowing grin and it grates on his nerves. "I don't feel like having another race."

"I just told you to meet me near the mall," Rin scoffs. "There ain't no pool in a yogurt shop, genius."

"Then what's the point?" Haruka asks back in monotone. When he receives static from Rin's end, Haruka walks over to the night stand and stares down the phone. "Oi." He normally would've just ended the call right there but it's been a boring day and Rin calling him up for non-swimming reasons certainly piqued his curiosity.

"Ah, damn it – I already told you, I need your help," Rin mutters.

"For what?" Haruka plants a hand on his hips, his interest draining away at the evasive answer. "I'm getting hungry. If you don't tell me what it really is, I'm hanging up."

"Fine! Fine, you jerk!" Rin intones a few more unpleasant words under his breath before continuing, "I need you to help me keep an eye on Gou."

Standing in the middle of his room in his underwear, Haruka blinks and dries his hair with a towel. "Gou's a high school sophomore, she doesn't need babysitters."

"She sure as hell does when she's going out with Mikoshiba!" It comes out as a near shout and Haruka is glad he decided to put his phone on loudspeaker instead of having the device by his ear. The accusatory tone is amusing just as much as the passionate deliverance of Samezuka's ace swimmer back talking the team Captain. "Can you believe that guy?! He actually freaking asked my sister –  _my sister!_  – out to see a dumb movie about space command or star fighters or something stupid like that. And Gou must've bumped her head because only a crazy woman would even consider–"

"Rin." Haruka has to stop his friend right there, his brain's processes hitting pause and rewind the moment he heard the words 'movie', 'space', and 'fighters' used in the same sentence. "Are you... That is to say, that movie... It's the one that's premiering tonight, isn't it?"

"Premiere, huh? Wait, let me check..." Rin talks to someone else on his end, their conversation carrying through the line. "Hey, Nitori, what time did Captain say that stupid movie date was?"

"A-Ah, I believe it's the first screening at eight-thirty," replies a timid voice which Rin then repeats to Haruka.

"It's in about an hour. Mikoshiba's been bragging about those tickets all week, going on and on like an idiot about planning the perfect date and then – then I overhear that he's taking my sister out. He didn't even ask for my permission! In any single one of the swim team practices we've had all week he could've told me but noo, that loser." Rin grouses. "So are you with me or not?"

Haruka spends a long second reasoning with himself why he should not –  _absolutely should **not**_  – entertain Rin's foolish plan. Number one on the list is the high probability of Makoto being there. Makoto  _and_  his date, Haruka reminds himself with a mental cringe. Number two is that it'll be rude to quote, unquote  _stalk_  the swim team manager like that even if she is – no,  _especially_ since she is Rin's sister. Number three, what would Makoto  _think_  if he sees Haruka in that movie theater – with Rin, too! Number four, if Haruka does see Makoto in that theater (and assuming that Makoto does not find him) there is no doubt in his mind that he will be watching his best friend more than the movie, you know the movie, the one he will be paying to see. The mere fact that he's thinking of spying on Makoto's date gets an insistent and obnoxious Bad Idea vibe creeping up his spine. Sane people don't invite themselves to other people's dates, Haruka reprimands his traitorous thoughts. And this surely goes against some clause or another in the Best Friend Code. He can always use Rin as an alibi, since the guy is the one who dragged him into this but...

Number five, a.k.a. the most important reason why Haruka should just say no: it's a Rin-plan. Based from past experiences Rin-plans tend to end very, very badly for everyone involved.

"Oi. Still there, Haru? Aw, come on, I can't do this by myself!"

Say no. Say no. Say no. Say no –

"Fine, I'll see you at the damn yogurt place."

"Yes!"

Haruka ends the call with the shaky press of a finger. He racks his mind for some words of wisdom from his late grandmother to reassure himself that it's going to be okay but ultimately finds none. He returns to his closet in search of more decent clothes, already knowing that this venture is going to be more trouble than it's worth.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nagisa-kun, that was totally irresponsible!" Rei stomps his way over to where his friend has idled in the middle of the mall. "I don't have time to keep finding you whenever you get separated from the group..."

"Ah, sorry, Rei-chan," Nagisa apologizes, sounding like he meant it enough but his eyes keep their far-away gaze, distracted. "I just thought I saw something curious over there..."

"It's not another candy store is it?" Rei follows Nagisa's line of sight to where the cinemas are crowded with patrons and smelling almost too strongly of buttered popcorn. "This is not the time for this." He tugs on the sleeve of Nagisa's jacket. "The others are waiting, we should get back."

"But–"Nagisa cranes his head back towards the movie house even as Rei drags him away. "I thought I saw Haru-chan and Rin-chan over there..."

"What are you talking about?" Rei doesn't even spare a glance, intent on regrouping with their classmates whom he'd left in front of some manga library upon noticing that Nagisa isn't with them.

"I think they're in line to see Mecha Galactica," Nagisa says, quickening his pace so he's walking right beside Rei. "We should watch a movie. I can treat you to–!"

"Not thank you," Rei declines, letting go of Nagisa's sleeve once he's assured that the blond won't drift away again. "I just want to eat and go home. I told my parents I'd be home by ten."

"It's only eight!" Nagisa points out after checking the clock on his phone, the lock screen features a snapshot of their swim team from last year's tournament with Gou having dragged Rin into the picture to complete it. "We should totally do something fun! It's the weekend after all!"

"Nagisa-kun..." Rei's long-suffering groan is left unheeded as Nagisa spots their classmates and starts waving enthusiastically.

"Guys! Guys! Guys! You wanna watch a movie?" Nagisa asks.

"I'd love to but I don't have the budget for it," Manda replies.

"Aww. How about you?" Nagisa turns to the others.

Yosuke shrugs, "I don't know, I don't really fancy any of the ones showing right now..."

"Then, then, why don't we do something else?" Refusing to curb his plans for a fun night, Nagisa racks his brain for some other activity but someone else beat him to the punch.

"Let's go to the arcade," suggests Chiaki. "Help me win tickets so I can buy the stuffed teddy bear that's behind the counter."

"Aren't we getting a bit too ahead of ourselves?" Rei points out only to be drowned out by Nagisa and the others' shouts of approval.

"Come on, Rei-chan," Nagisa hugs the taller teen's arm, smiling up at him. "We won't take too long. Or if we do, I can totally explain everything to your parents!"

"T-That's..." Rei defers to their other classmates who are all looking at him expectantly. Well... considering that they did make substantial progress in their group project after working on it all day, he supposes they deserve to enjoy themselves a little. "That's okay," he concedes. "But I insist on getting dinner first."

"Yay!"

* * *

Gou thinks of herself as a self-made, independent woman but she does like to be pampered from time to time. Honestly, though, she expected the Samezuka swim team captain to have made his move ages ago but no matter – a date is a date. It took her a while to take his advances seriously given how forward he'd been in calling her cute on their first meeting. She thought him to be a total flirt who only looks at someone's physical appearance and not the brains inside but he has proven her wrong over time. Seijuurou (or Sei-kun as he insists she call him) is sweet and attentive, dedicated and passionate, and there is certainly more to him than washboard abs.

The movie house is crowded but Seijuurou manages to find them a good spot on the balcony. He maneuvers through the occupied seats until he gets to two vacant places right at the center. He waits for Gou to pick a seat before settling in and distributing their food and drinks; Gou absolutely refused to get soda and lined up at the shake shack to get herself a fruit smoothie and he thinks it's absolutely adorable.

"I have to say, I was totally surprised when you picked this one," Seijuurou says, completely ignoring the previews in favor of chatting up his date. They've exchanged numbers months ago, text messages leveling up to random phone calls over the summer break, and when he finally asked her out a week back it was through a video chat.

"Oh, well..." Gou looks around, noticing that most of the patrons are teenaged guys with a spattering of other couples, though the ladies in the audience look considerably less thrilled about being there. She hesitates before answering, something foreboding nags at the back of her mind as she contemplates her words. Maybe she should've told Rin about this... but he has that tendency to overreact to most things, he'll probably think it's a wedding proposal already. She'll just tell him about the date after it's all wrapped up. Lending her attention back to Seijuurou, Gou replies with a smile, "You see, when my older brother Rin went to Australia he forgot to cancel his subscription to his weekly shonen mangas. I thought it'll be a waste to ignore them so I started reading. I remember loving this one, being all futuristic with mechas and bodysuits and the all-male cast–" Gou cut herself off, blushing at having said that.

Seijuurou laughs. He has gotten used to Gou fawning over the muscular male figure and there's nothing wrong with her appreciation of it; though he  _would_ like to hear her compliment  _his_  toned body some time. "That's cool," he assures her, taking the chance to keep the conversation going by telling his own story. "I had a friend in school who introduced me to the series and I didn't like it at first but..."

Five rows up on the left-hand column, Rin is scowling, eyes narrowed at the pair. With the bill of his baseball cap casting dark shadows over his eyes, he looks all the more menacing. Beside him, Haruka is already regretting his decision, trying to make himself smaller by sinking into his seat. He pulls the hood of his jacket lower to hide his face, spotting Makoto's impressive figure among the crowd, arms holding up two bags of popcorn, and right beside him is Kaname with a drink in each hand.

Haruka is in panic mode; sure that Makoto would look right at him and magically figure out the whole scheme. His hand twitches towards Rin, ready to grab the guy and run out but then Kaname points to some seats and Makoto goes along without looking his way. They settle down close to the stairs, rows in front of Haruka's seat and the blue-eyed teen gives a small sigh of relief. At least in that position, there's a nearly zero chance of them spotting him. He still can't believe he actually spent money on this.

Much like Gou and Seijuurou, Makoto and Kaname start talking but they're too far away for Haruka to hear anything... N-Not like Haruka  _wants_  to hear what they're talking about. That'd be too absurd.

"What the hell is he saying to her?" Rin grumbles beside him, eyes still on his Captain and his sister. "Haru, we should move closer."

Haruka hits Rin on the arm. "Don't be stupid."

"What?" Rin turns to Haruka, expression no less fierce.

"Gou can handle herself and she will surely kill you when she finds you stalking her even if it is with good intentions." Haruka stops for a moment – a stalker with good intentions? What an oxymoron. He shakes his head. "Anyway, you should only barge down there when it's clear that Mikoshiba is doing something wrong."

"He's dating my sister, that's already wrong in my book." Rin crosses his arms, glaring at Haruka like it's his fault that the whole affair happened. "What if he tries something nasty when the lights go out?"

As if on cue, the theater is plunged into darkness as the previews and the movie begins.

"Shit." Rin whips his head in Gou's direction. He makes to stand up but Haruka holds him down with a strong grip around his wrist.

"Don't make a scene," Haruka hisses at him, lights from the screen illuminating his serious features. "You can still see them from here. If – and  _only_  if – Mikoshiba makes a bad move on Gou are you allowed to stomp over there like a crazy person, understand?"

"I'm not a crazy person," Rin indignantly spits out, plopping back to his seat nonetheless. "But fine."

"Fine." Haruka leans back, grateful for the hood that hides his defeated expression. He's not much better than Rin; he can admit that much to himself. He may even be worse because while Rin's actions are completely reasonable – Rin's only looking after his little sister – Haruka's are... well... blurry. Makoto certainly doesn't need to be watched over, he's nearly a grown man, and it's ridiculous to think that his date – soft-spoken and petite Kaname – will be the one to attempt something inappropriate in a cinema full of people.

On the wide screen before them, a black void is interspaced by efflorescent nebulae. A couple of rows down below, Makoto's full attention is directed at the movie. Haruka can only see the back of his head, just barely identifiable from the rest thanks to his tall stature, but it's enough. He lets his eyes drift back to the movie, vaguely remembering the plot and characters from inked pages now brought to life on the big screen...

Somewhere around the climax of the story, Haruka is shaken from the half-sleep he has drifted into. Space adventures are mundanely devoid of anything water-related, the movie reminds him all too brilliantly. Why do scientists keep thinking that water can't be found in other planets, anyway? Those spoilsports. Rin suddenly pulls him over by the front of his jacket, pointed teeth glinting under the low light.

"What is he doing?!" Rin demands, tone considerately low so as not to be heard over the movie's dialogue.

Haruka tries to find Mikoshiba and Gou, having lost sight of them ever since the movie started but their vibrant hair colors make the pair easy enough to identify. From what he could see at this angle, it looks like Mikoshiba is leaning towards Gou. It's difficult to say for sure what's happening since the shadows are hiding most of their form but –

"He better not be kissing her," Rin swears.

"Hey, quiet you," the guy sitting on Rin's other side scolds them. "This is the best part."

Sensing danger, Haruka places a firm hand on Rin's shoulder to keep him from doing something drastic.

Rin rounds on him, annoyance clear in his face. "Haru, don't fucking stop me, I'm going over there and–"

"Will you get a grip?" Haruka shakes his friend a little, hoping the motion will right whatever loose screws there are in Rin's head. "Wait until the movie's over–"

"But you said–"

"You can't beat a guy up in the middle of a crowded theater," Haruka says in the most serious voice he can muster.  _You can't start a scene where Makoto might discover us_  remains unsaid. "Wait until they're outside, then you can have your brawl."

Rin doesn't look too happy but he agrees to wait anyway, probably using the time in between to plan how much pain he's going to inflict on Mikoshiba, never mind that he's the Samezuka swim team captain – his sister's honor is on the line.

* * *

"Big brother! W-What are you doing here?!"

From where he has stationed himself around the corner, Haruka massages his temples with one hand. It's enough that he's letting Rin act like some brainless territorial beast, Haruka doesn't need to dirty his hands any further by actually watching the chaos. Does he believe that Rin has enough basis to act out his vengeance? No, he does not. But having Rin's attention focused on Mikoshiba means that Haruka is free to keep an eye out on, well... more important things...

His hood is still up seeing as the cinema where they'd ""watched"" Mecha Galactica is along that same wide hall with moviegoers steadily pouring out. He's trying to blend in with the wall as much as possible, already hidden behind cardboard standees as a precaution against being found. He wishes that Rin would tone down his shouting a little but given how noisy the mall is anyway, Haruka can only hope that Makoto will be too engrossed with his date to – wait, no, actually, Haruka doesn't want that.

... And why exactly does Haruka  _not_  want that again? Does he not want his best friend to be happy? Happiness  _is_  the ultimate goal in these types of pursuits, isn't it?

 _I'm making sure that he's really happy_.

It's a blatant lie and Haruka knows it but he lets himself believe it nonetheless, peering over the angled elbow of the life-size cutout to try and spot Makoto. Being seated close to the stairways, it's highly likely that Makoto and Kaname have travelled far from the theater by now; Haruka has made sure to give them sufficient time to exit the doors before he and (a very agitated) Rin left their own seats.

Finding Gou and Mikoshiba proved to be easy with Rin leading the way – charging ahead more like and Haruka is using the term 'finding' very loosely considering that Gou spots her brother before he can catch up with them. Rin doesn't even notice that Haruka isn't with him for the confrontation, covering up his surprise at being caught by turning the table on Mikoshiba; asking what exactly does he think he's doing with Gou.

In the meantime, Haruka is contemplating running off to find his own quote, unquote target. It's nearly time for the mall to close so there's actually little else for Makoto and his date to do – where else could they have gone?

Haruka lifts his hood a little, brushing his bangs out of the way to get a better view. His hands tighten into fists, one foot pushes off the floor to bring him closer to the vague outline of Makoto he sees at the far end of the hall. Makoto's back is to him and he can barely see Kaname but Haruka is sure she's that blob of dark brown hair walking closely beside his best friend. They appear to be heading for the shuttle terminal, Haruka remembers the drop off to be in that direction; Makoto must be seeing his date home like the gentleman that he is.

The sane part of his mind tells him that it's okay now. He's done his job making sure that nothing untoward happened during the movie date. There's no need to go beyond the line of duty (if it can even be called that) but again another voice speaks over the first. This one whispers snidely in his ears, conjuring some telecast of the shows Mrs. Tachibana loved to watch while they ate dinner – family dramas that feature overly-colored and frankly unrealistic portraits of romance in the current generation. Not to say that chivalry is dead or anything but Haru never really thought much of its importance until now when he realizes that  _of course_  Makoto would be  _that kind of guy_. He'll deliver Kaname to her doorstep, thank her for the date, and then they'd kiss like all those lovey-dovey teens on TV.

-!

For a split second Haruka's senses all freeze.

Rin is shouting something defensively to which Mikoshiba barks in response. Haruka takes a quick glance around the corner to find Gou standing between the two men looking mighty pissed off. He swivels back to make sure Makoto is still within his line of sight and gets a slight panic upon seeing him disappear down the escalator.

"—never would have expected Rei-chan to be so good at DDR!"

"It's all about precision. Nothing really difficult."

Oh no.

Haruka's heart beats may have just dropped to a flat line. Those voices... Right here? Right now? Really? Sure enough, he finds Nagisa and Rei among the crowd and  _of course_  they're headed his way. Run now, run far, far away and never look back, run to Makoto —

Something lurches in Haruka's chest, sending tremors down his arms and legs.  _Go!_  his mind screams at him, back pushing off the wall, feet taking him forward but the lack of coordination has him stumbling into the cardboard cutout. Passersby gasp and stare as Haruka manages to pull it back up just in time but by then he's blown his cover. Rei and Nagisa are right in front of him, blinking in surprise.

Nagisa peers under his hood to make sure. "It  _is_  Haru-chan..."

Gulping, Haruka doesn't know why even bothers to nod at them when he quickly turns away right after. He ignores their yelps of protest as he skids around the corner and promptly grabs Rin by the elbow.

"All I'm saying is – What the heck?!" Rin changes course mid-rant as he's dragged off by his conspirator. "W-What do you think you're doing?! I'm not–"

But Haruka isn't listening to anything anymore. He needs to get away from all those familiar faces and see that one smile that he knows would put him at ease like nothing else ever can. The wind blows the hood off his head, exposing the anxious face underneath. He runs straight past Nagisa and Rei's confused figures, an unrelenting grip on Rin's arm as they blend in with the crowd.

"The hell are you taking me?" Rin protests, torn between sprinting back to his sister and keeping up with this odd-acting Haruka that's pulling him along. They reach the escalator and things take a slow turn. He watches as Haruka forces back the worried creases from the canvas of his face. As much as he wants to get back to giving Mikoshiba a piece of his mind, an unshakeable new worry keeps his feet glued where they are. When Haruka doesn't even spare him a glance by the time they reach the bottom of the escalator, Rin takes matters into his own hand.

"What's your issue, Haru?" Rin demands, masking his worry with a glare and a rough pull of his arm from Haruka's grasp. "I could be punching Mikoshiba in the dick right now and instead I'm doing what exactly?"

"You're returning a favor," Haruka answers dismissively, heading out of the sliding doors to where commuters loitered in wait for the right bus to take them wherever. "Now keep quiet, we can't be found."

"Found? By who? What are you talking about?" Rin frowns suspiciously, trying to see what it is that's got Haruka's true emotions slipping out of his well-concocted mask.

But Haruka does not answer him, reeled in by the faint yet unmistakable silhouette of a figure in the shuttle bus that has just departed. Maybe he'll regret bringing Rin into this but Haruka, for once, can't trust himself to be on his own in such a selfish quest. He hails a taxi, all but pushing Rin inside before closing the door and ordering the driver to "Follow that bus."

* * *

"Ah, it's Gou-chan!"

Gou stops short of running Nagisa over in her haste to catch up with her brother. "Don't call me Gou!"

"...And Captain Mikoshiba,"Rei observes, pushing his glasses up to meet the Samezuka swimmer's golden eyes.

"Uh, hi there!" Seijuurou manages a spirited greeting, inwardly wondering where these date-interrupters keep coming from. "Ryugazaki-san. Hazuki-san."

"Hey, hey, what are you guys doing here?" Nagisa asks, chewing on a red licorice stick. He looks between the two, smile growing wider at noticing Gou's completely dolled up look, her long red hair loose from its usual ponytail. "Oh, are you on a date?"

Seijuurou blushes bright enough to imitate a tomato while Gou gives an awkward little laugh and tucks her hair behind one ear. "T-That's..." Upon seeing the sly look Nagisa shares with Rei, however, Gou puts on a stern face. "That's none of your business. Now please excuse us because I need to find a certain spying brother of mine."

"Oh, Rin-chan? Haru-chan took him over there,"Nagisa jerks a thumb behind him. "They look hurried, though."

"Eh? Haruka-senpai?" Gou futilely tries to see over the crowd only to drop back on her heels with a pondering expression.

"Nagisa saw them go into the cinema earlier," Rei says, not even blinking when Nagisa reaches over to pull another two sticks from the licorice pack in his hand. "Didn't you go as a group?"

"You mean..." Seijuurou frowns, brows knitting together. "They spied on our date?"

"So you two  _are_ dating!" Nagisa beams triumphantly, getting a sputtering response from the Samezuka swim captain.

"Or maybe..." Gou puts a finger over her lips, contemplative gaze still trying to spot Rin and Haruka from the mall crowd. "They were on their own date."

"Eh?"

The licorice sticks Nagisa has been chewing on drop to the floor.

Seijuurou looks a little bewildered at the conclusion. The intense competitiveness between Matsuoka and Nanase is certainly legendary but it couldn't have stemmed from  _that_  kind of thing... could it? Gou looks so certain about it, though. She'd probably have sparkles in her eyes and rosy bubbles around if they were in some anime but as it is, she only sighs wistfully while staring at where her brother and his presumed date has probably gone.

"Does this mean it's a couples' night?" Rei wonders out of the blue, hand on his chin as he looks at nobody in particular. "Because I saw Makoto-senpai with some girl a while back and–"

"Mako-chan's out with a girl? Why didn't you tell me?" Nagisa demands, eyes all wide with mock hurt as he turns towards Rei. "Where are they? Show me! Show me!"

"They looked busy so I didn't bother to say hi," Rei shrugs. "They were walking in the opposite direction anyway." He moves to point out where he'd spotted the pair but an unexpected obstacle stops him. Nagisa's hand is resting lightly on his wrist, the one connected to the hand holding the licorice pack granted but still, he'd never noticed it there before.

Nagisa apparently registers the same thing at the exact same moment and he meets Rei's stare. "Sorry," he smiles, the singular gesture enough to disperse what could've become an awkward pause. He takes his hand off Rei's wrist. "So where did you see Mako-chan? And who's the girl?"

As Rei rambles with the faintest trace of a blush on his face, Gou turns to Seijuurou, giving him a smile. "Well, since big brother Rin is apparently occupied with his own date. Should we go ahead?"

"Ah, sure," Seijuurou agrees, a little thrown off from his perfect date plan with Rin's appearance but now that he's gone... "To the milk tea place it is!"

"Aren't you going to invite us?" Nagisa's attention jumps over to Gou, smiling deceptively sweet.

Gou pins him with a look, a devious smirk probably ingrained in the Matsuoka bloodline showing through. "Nope. You and Rei-kun should continue  _your_  date somewhere else. It's a couples' night as you said. See ya~"

"W-We're not dating!" Rei's protest goes unheeded as Gou and Seijuurou walk away without another word, leaving him with Nagisa. Rei crosses his arms at the assumption, maintaining a stony silence until he realizes Nagisa hasn't moved from his spot. "Um, Nagisa-kun?"

"Hm?" Nagisa faces him, a curious spark in his expression.

There's something expectant in the way Nagisa looks at him but Rei never could quite figure it out. It will be a mistake to theorize without all the facts so Rei merely adds another note to his mental folder labeled Hazuki Nagisa; it's rather close to overflowing now but it's also getting late. Checking his watch, Rei suggests that they head home.

"Sure," Nagisa agrees, linking his hands behind him and walking backwards. "Come on, then. Your dad sounded really stringy when I promised to get you home by eleven."

Rei gives a defeated sigh. "If you keep saying things like that people will  _really_  start talking..."


	6. Chapter 6

"Where are we?" Rin asks, taking off his cap to rake a hand through his hair. The half-moon in the sky shines down brilliantly, aiding their sight in the dark of the night.

"Don't do that," Haruka reproves him, pulling the cap back down by the bill.

"At least tell me what it is that's got you dragging me on some wild goose chase to the middle of nowhere," Rin mutters, slapping Haruka's hand away so he can adjust the cap better. It's not like he purposely didn't pay attention to where the taxi was taking them but throughout the ride his focus became limited to side-eyeing an uncomfortably still Haruka and texting increasingly threatening messages to Mikoshiba who has not had the grace to reply.

"..." Haruka doesn't dignify Rin's question with an answer. With what little dignity he has left, it's best to preserve it by not saying unnecessary things. He peers around a corner, watching as the darkness cloaks and uncovers the two figures walking towards the neighborhood's residential area.

"What are you looking at?" Rin asks, striding right out into the open to investigate when Haruka still refuses to say a word. "Oi... wait a second..." Red eyes narrow at the figures turning the opposite corner, recognizable for a brief moment thanks to the pale street lights. "Is that–?"

Haruka manages to pull Rin back, barely catching the hem of his t-shirt when he moves to get a closer look. He silences what's sure to be a loud obnoxious protest with a palm on Rin's mouth and a dead-serious glare. "I told you to – Ow!" He retracts his hand, wincing. Rin bit him. "Hey."

"Don't  _hey_  me."Rin spits at the ground, looking Haruka in the eyes with a defiance that makes the night feel colder. "That's Makoto. Why on earth are we following Makoto? Are you spying on him?"

"I'm not spying–" Haruka shuts up when Rin's glare intensifies. "It's not like–" He holds his tongue at the steep downward curve that pulls on Rin's mouth. "I'm just..." Rin starts shaking his head at him and Haruka digs his fingernails into the flesh of his own palm. He feels cornered, this isn't supposed to happen. It's a confrontation he can't afford to have right now, not with Rin especially, but the expression Rin is wearing says quite plainly that they're not going anywhere without Haruka giving him a proper explanation.

"You didn't come just to help me watch over Gou, did you?" Rin's words come out more as a statement of a fact than a question. Haruka guiltily averts his gaze and it's all the confirmation that Rin needs to start piecing the puzzle together. "Right. Some friend you are... So what's your deal with Makoto? And who's that girl – wait, is it the girl? Are you spying on the girl?"

Why does Rin keep saying that?  _I'm not spying on anyone,_  Haruka huffs in annoyance, longingly peering at where Makoto had gone. He's wasting precious time here...

"Don't even think about running off," Rin warns, crossing his arms stiffly. "I'll call Makoto right now and tell on you if you do. So spill."

Pursing his lips, Haruka debates the pros and cons of telling Rin exactly what he's up to. See, this is the problem with having depended on Makoto's friendship all his life – when he has a problem  _concerning Makoto_ , he's got no one to talk to about it. He's tried dealing with it by himself and just look at where that's gotten him. Maybe an outside perspective would help. An unbiased opinion from someone who knows both him and Makoto, who can think logically, who he can trust... Looking at Rin, Haruka sighs.  _Well, two out of three isn't so bad._

"Makoto got asked out on a date by that girl at school last week," Haruka says, gaze dropping to the sidewalk. "For some reason, I felt like something changed because of that. It got me thinking–"

"About what?"

"A lot of things..."

"You mean Makoto." A knowing grin dissolves the frown on Rin's face and it's greatly worrying.

"Yes," comes Haruka's clipped reply. "But I never planned to do anything about it until you called about stalking Gou's date with Mikoshiba."

"Hey now don't start putting the blame on me!" Rin retorts. "I'm just looking after my sister! You're the one tangled up in love problems here!"

Haruka stills, expression washed out blank save for the slight crease between his brows. "... Excuse me?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" A teasing smirk hitches up Rin's lips, exposing predatory teeth. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I'm just looking after Makoto," Haruka echoes, keeping a calm facade while his inner rationale is doubling over in worry.  _If it's so obvious to Rin, why does he have no idea of what it is?_

"Right... That's a totally legit reason to follow him back after his date." Rin rolls his eyes, looking at Haruka like he would a pitifully cute animal. "What, you trying to catch him smooching up his girl at the doorstep?" When vivid red tints Haruka's cheeks at his words, Rin's jaw drops. "Holy wow, you are, aren't you?"

_She is not Makoto's_ girl, Haruka mentally corrects, wondering at the same time why the thought disturbs him so. Haruka tries to be threatening with his silence but it's completely ineffective considering he can't even look Rin in the eye.

"You – are – just – classic!" Rin manages to say in between his snickering.

It's Haruka's turn to cross his arms, though he's not quite sure whether it's to show his anger or to protect himself.

"Haru, Haru, Haru..." Rin steps over and puts a hand on Haruka's shoulders. Haruka immediately shakes him off but it only makes Rin chuckle. "That is _not_  how you pursue a potential love interest. Not to mention it's creepy as hell."

_Potential what?_  Haruka turns away from Rin, unable to shake off his disturbance at hearing those words spewed out so casually. "If you're not going to be helpful, just–" A vibration in his pocket stops him. Haruka takes out his phone to find Makoto calling him. It's surprising but not as much as the realization that those footsteps coming up from the corner may just be the brunet himself. Exactly how long have they been standing there? It couldn't have been more than ten minutes. Without a second to spare, Haruka grabs Rin, sprinting to the other end of the block.

"Can you stop doing that?" Rin complains as Haruka pulls him to hide behind a boarded up newsstand. "Jeez!"

Haruka gives Rin a stern look, daring him to make a sound, before he answers the call. "Makoto."

"Ah, Haru! Sorry for calling so late... Were you asleep?"

Haruka swallows thickly, the devious expression growing on Rin unnerves him. "No."

"Well, you should be." Makoto chuckles at his own joke and the sound of it warms Haruka's cheeks. He peers around the stall, finding Makoto standing at the corner he and Rin had vacated just in time.

"Maybe if you hang up, I can go to sleep," Haruka mutters into the receiver, eyes still on Makoto's solitary figure.

"Right, of course." Makoto rocks back and forth on his heels, hooking one hand into his jeans pocket. "Just one thing before I go..."

A bus comes up the street and Haruka wisely covers up his phone to muffle the noise. "What?"

The bus stops in front of Makoto and he gets on. "Sweet dreams, Haru."

It's nothing new, that salutation, but hearing it at that moment, knowing that Makoto is choosing to uphold that timeworn habit despite the hour, in spite of how he'd spent the day – Haruka feels a ringing calm flush out his worries. "Same to you. See you tomorrow," he returns, pressing the phone unnecessarily close to his ear as the bus rumbles away, taking Makoto with it.

A contented hum precedes Makoto's parting words. "Okay. Good night."

"Good night." Haruka ends the call and then remains leaning against the shack.

"... Did he just ask you out right after dropping off his date?"

The frank and bold voice breaks the silence, reminding Haruka that Rin is still there. He looks over, brows raised slightly at the inane assumption. Haruka is actually offended that Rin would think that of Makoto. "It's just the usual Sunday lunch at the Tachibanas." It's nothing special, it's been that way since middle school.

"That's it? Just lunch? A minute ago you were freaking out and now..." Rin gestures with his hand. "You're all... zen... and all it took was a damn phone call."

Haruka pockets his phone, shrugging as he faced the other. He can't quite explain it either. Makoto's call reassured him that nothing has to change between them, even if someone else takes the whole of Makoto's day he will still find time – will even go as far as to  _make_  time – for Haruka. In retrospect, everything seems so insignificant compared to that. It makes Haruka feel bad for doubting what he and Makoto have.

"Forget dating. From where I'm standing, you two are practically married," Rin adds and just like that Haruka is confused all over again.

"We're not," he states, wondering why the idea strikes him so, why he can't feel offended about it, why it's almost... flattering...

"Are you sure? Because middle of the night phone calls are kind of pushing the best friends line." Rin considers for a second, then he shrugs. "Not like you and Makoto ever  _had_ a line between you in the first place, come to think of it."

_Did Rin just..._ Haruka's face feels like its burning. He tries to refute it but nothing substantial comes to mind, all his rebuttals are colored with Makoto's sunny smile and the memory of touches that send something electric tingling at the tips of Haruka's fingers even now.

Watching realization dawn on Haruka begs for a spot in Rin's unforgettable life events. The slight furrow appearing and disappearing between Haruka's brows, the twitching corner of his lips finally deciding on a smile, the way he's still partially turned to where Makoto last stood – all of it is so obviously telling that if Rin didn't have as much self-control as he did, he would've done something drastic. Like haul Haruka's ass over so they can catch up with Makoto's bus, then he'll grab those two by the back of their heads and smack their faces together; if they still don't get the idea to kiss at that point then Rin would lose all faith in love. As it is, though, just standing on the sidelines making mental notes about it is satisfying enough; and Rin will never let Haruka live down the fact that he stalked Makoto's date. "You know I always wondered if Makoto's protectiveness stemmed from somewhere else. I mean, he's nice to everyone but when it comes to you... It's damn near romantic. I'd call it a man-crush but that'd be an understatement."

Haruka is staring at Rin now, not knowing what to do with all this unsolicited information. Of course, this could just be Rin's way of messing with him but the more Rin talked, the faster Haruka's heart beat.

"He picks you up every morning, he walks you home after school, and he's always the one to pull you up from the pool." Rin pauses, a snort twisting his lips. "Holy shit that rhymed!" He proceeds to laugh, nearly getting hysterical at Haruka's red-faced rendition of a pout.

_It's not funny at all_. Haruka is well aware of where Rin is going with this. He knows that Makoto dotes on him and all along he's convinced himself that it's normal best friend behavior. Being friends for so long means that they feel a sense of responsibility for the other, a near-intrinsic knowledge runs invisibly between them, they know what the other is feeling without the need for words. Haruka has long classified these things as normal but Rin makes it sound like it's not, like there's something more to it, and now that it's out in the open, Haruka has no choice to address it. He has to consider the possibility that...

"Makoto is doing everything short of bringing you flowers and asking for your hand in marriage," Rin supplies, probably thinking that he's being helpful at stating the obvious like this. "And just look at you, already half in love with him without even knowing it."

Haruka's breath hitches. The idea has never crossed his mind but once he's started to think about that possibility, it's almost too easy to see. Having spent nearly all his life with Makoto, he can pinpoint the spot reserved for Makoto right beside him. Makoto has a permanent spot in his life, and it's more than just the physical space. He has become a regular feature in Haruka's mind lately and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon; not that Haruka's complaining. Just the thought of Makoto brings another surge of emotion through him and Haruka tries to appear nonchalant while reassuring himself that it's okay. He's 'half in love' with his best friend and that's okay because... because...

"You better act quick, though, before someone else asks him out," Rin points out, disrupting Haruka's thoughts. "You know he probably only goes out with them because he can't bear to let anyone down but give it enough time and one day Makoto will have to accept that you don't return his feelings. He'll stop waiting for you to notice him. He'll try to move on and find peace with someone else, but he'll never escape you."

Haruka frowns. Rin makes it sound like he's the one at fault. He can't help that he's only realizing it now, that all along he's been complacent with Makoto's role in his life.

"He's a sweetheart but he's not a martyr, Haru," Rin says but he retracts it almost immediately. "Okay, he's probably a martyr to boot, so it's now your job to put him out of his misery." When Haruka just stares at him, Rin gives a longsuffering sigh. "Look, I'm no expert but the way you guys are going, you're probably going to convince yourself it's better to stay best friends forever and keep that shit sanctified. But is that really what you want? You can't keep following his every date like this, wondering when he finally decides he can't wait for you anymore."

"Then I won't make him wait any longer." Haruka surprises himself with the answer that leaves his lips. His posture straightens, decision made.  _I don't want Makoto's love to go to waste._ Haruka knows that expressing emotions is not his strongpoint but this is Makoto they're talking about. For Makoto's sake – for both their sakes – Haruka will do everything.

Seeing the resolution clear in Haruka's eyes, Rin nods understandingly. "Good." He starts for the bus stop, noting the late hour on his watch.

"...Thank you."

Rin glances back to see Haruka following him and he gives the guy a well-meaning smirk. "You must be real desperate to take me seriously." Without missing a beat, he continues. "I'm kidding, Haru. And it's not like you're gonna need it but: good luck with Makoto."

Haruka nods briefly, standing beside Rin, waiting for the next bus to arrive. It feels weird knowing that he's about to actively pursue his best friend but, really, at this point the only thing that's left for Haruka to do is return Makoto's affections. It's not that big of a challenge but with his social ineptitude, Haruka is certain he'll have to stumble his way through this mission. That's okay, though, because it's going to be worth it. For Makoto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can u believe we have fanart for this???  
> homg go squee at melonami's very cute art of love consultant rin matsuoka [here](http://melonami.tumblr.com/post/92372403847/)~


	7. Chapter 7

"Thank you for the meal."

Haruka helps in clearing the dining table. Mrs. Tachibana has long ago given up on telling him off about it and simply accepted it as Haruka's way of showing his gratitude. With the plates piled together neatly, Haruka delivers them to the kitchen sink while Makoto wipes the table. Mrs. Tachibana takes over the clean up from there and the boys retreat to Makoto's room to do their homework.

The door closes and Haruka's heart skips a beat. Makoto's room is tidy, study desk right beside the stocked bookshelf, tomorrow's uniform neatly arranged on a hanger over his bed. It's the same setup but today it feels almost... intimate. Haruka puts his book bag down on the cleared space on the floor, watching Makoto gather his own things.

Haruka has managed to maintain a cool composure so far. Interacting with the Tachibana family always lifts up his spirits, fills in the emptiness that he carries from his own home. Haruka doesn't begrudge his parents for it, though rare occasions exist where he can't help but wonder if things would've turned out differently if they clocked in to spend more time with him. Makoto is lucky, he has never lacked love which is probably why he's so generous with it. He turns back to Haruka, easy expression marred by a lifted brow.

"Is something wrong?"

Shaking his head, Haruka settles on the floor and takes out his notebooks and pens. He shouldn't be spacing out like that but it's unavoidable. Now that he's decided on showing Makoto that their relationship doesn't have to be one-sided, Haruka can't help but start imagining scenarios where he makes his move. It's ridiculously embarrassing even when it's just in his head that his common sense keeps telling him to stop, just stop.

Makoto puts down a stack of books in between them, pages folded to serve as a bookmark for the assignments that they have to do. He sits down opposite Haruka, quiet and contemplative as he picks out the mathematics book for them to work on first. "I think I'm getting the hang of that new formula but it gets confusing when negative integers get involved..."

Haruka isn't fooled by his casual tone but he appreciates that Makoto knows not to push for answers. He is patient and understanding and, really, why can't Haruka just say it out loud and get this over with? It'll save them both a lot headaches but Haruka recalls Rin's text from earlier that morning.

 _Make it special_  is the message. Haruka huffed when he read it; considering how Rin doesn't like to be called romantic, he sure gets all the cheesy ideas. Haruka isn't sure what exactly constitutes 'special' when it comes to these things but he supposes a love confession in the middle of doing homework is as bland as it can get. So he pushes thoughts of it to the back of his mind, focusing instead on solving the equations before him.

Their pile of work is nearly depleted when somebody knocks on Makoto's door. Haruka lifts his eyes from the history paper in his hands while Makoto calls out, "It's open. Come in."

Ren and Ran reveal themselves, smiling bright and all but tumbling into the room. "Haruka!" They plant themselves on either side of him, looking over his shoulder. "Are you finished with your homework?" Ran asks.

"Almost," Haruka replies at the same time that Makoto says, "Not yet." Their eyes meet and Makoto smiles sheepishly.

"I told you we'll help out once we're done with our own assignments, right?" Makoto chastises his siblings.

Ren pouts, arms draped almost possessively on Haruka's shoulder. "But you're taking too long!"

"That's because our lessons are more complicated," Makoto explains without losing his smile. "It's not nice to bother hardworking people."

"What do they need help with?" Haruka intercepts, closing his notebook to the twins' delight. He can almost hear Makoto telling him not to spoil the kids but he can't help it. Seeing his resolve, Makoto just shakes his head and sets aside his own pen and paper outline.

"An art project!" Ran declares. "And it needs to be super pretty so we'll get exempted from the long exam next week!"

"Makoto is useless when it comes to art so we really need Haruka's help," Ren adds, getting an offended "Hey!" from his brother in response.

Haruka chuckles, letting the twins pull him up and lead him outside. Makoto trails after them with an expression that's halfway between amused and exasperated. The art materials are all set up in the twins' room, just waiting for a creative hand to build a masterpiece with them.

"So what are we supposed to be making?" Haruka asks as Ren pulls him over to his side of the study table and practically forces him to sit down.

Makoto takes Ran's seat opposite him and the twins start explaining the project. After that, they divide the labor between them: the twins help in conceptualizing their individual pieces then Haruka will make the basic sketches, Makoto is entrusted with inking the drawings, and coloring will be shared equally.

Both Ren and Ran have grand ideas for what is supposed to be a drawing of their future ambitions. Haruka listens to each of them, making suggestions whenever he can. Makoto watches them work contentedly, grabbing a reference book or two when Haruka needs it. Once Haruka finishes with the first pencil sketch, he slides it across the table for Makoto to finalize. They barely notice the time, only getting a sense of it when Mrs. Tachibana checks on them later in the afternoon.

"How's your project coming along?" She walks in to take a look, ruffling Ren's hair when he pulls her to show off what Haruka is drawing for him. "Oh my, that's lovely. You're quite an artist, Haruka-kun."

"Thank you." Haruka doesn't usually let praises get to him, but hearing that from Mrs. Tachibana curves his lips into a smile.

Mrs. Tachibana goes over to Makoto's side, putting a hand on his broad shoulder. "This one is nice, too. It already looks finished."

"We still need to color it in, actually." Makoto pauses drawing to respond. "And I really wish a certain  _someone_  would start doing that instead of messing with my hair…"

Ran pauses in the middle of braiding the longer hairs at the nape of Makoto's neck, pouting at her big brother. "But I haven't decided on the colors yet. It's going to be hard to change when I already start filling in the lines."

Mrs. Tachibana looks thoughtful for a moment. "Well then, since you're not being helpful in here, how about coming with me to the kitchen so we can prepare snacks?"

"Ren's not doing anything either!" Ran is quick to point out.

"That's because Haruka is still sketching my poster." Ren sticks his tongue out at her.

"Now, now… No need to fight. That's detrimental for a creative environment; isn't that right, Haruka-kun?"

Haruka nods his agreement.

"Come along, the both of you." Mrs. Tachibana calls the twins over, opening the door to show them she means business.

"Oh, okay." Ren reluctantly leaves Haruka's side, ushered towards the kitchen by Mrs. Tachibana. Ran tells Makoto to darken the drawing's long flowing hair with ink before she closes the door behind her.

Light scratching fills in the silence that the twins' absence left. Makoto's unfinished braid unfurls as he erases the pencil marks under his inkwork. Haruka pauses drawing, lifting the page up from the table to examine the whole picture. His eyes eventually drift off the page to find Makoto still diligently working across him. Behind Makoto is a familiar illustration, one torn out from Haruka's own sketchpad. He's not exactly surprised that it's still there, recalling how the twins' enthusiastic pleads woke Makoto up from his nap; they pinned the work with star pushpins on the corkboard where it has stayed to this day.

"Ah, crap!" Makoto's worried gasp gets Haruka's attention. Haruka doesn't even have to ask what happened. Makoto looks up at him, expression concerned. "I was inking the girl's hair like Ran said but I misjudged the lines and…"

Haruka leaves his own work to survey the damage. It's only obvious to the trained eye but Makoto is wearing a look of such disappointment, leaving Haruka no choice. "It's not that bad," he assures, taking the spot just behind Makoto's right side so he doesn't cast a shadow on his workspace. Leaning over, Haru takes the pen from Makoto's hand and Makoto gives him space to move.

Adding volume to her hair does the trick and Haruka lifts the pen off the page to show Makoto it's fixed.

"You're a lifesaver, Haru!" Makoto exclaims and Haruka turns to face him, finding minimal space in between them with the way Haruka's bent hip is pressed behind Makoto's shoulder. Genuine relief shines in Makoto's eyes, he looks far too happy over such a little thing.

The tiny voice Haruka has been ignoring for the past few hours grows louder, competing with the deep echo that resonates with his heartbeats. At this distance, he can pinpoint every tint and shade in Makoto's eyes and it's almost overwhelming, he feels a rush of heat on his cheeks. "It's just a drawing."

"It's your drawing," Makoto says like that alone makes it worth more than anything. "And Ran is probably going to bully me if I ruin it. You know how much she - well, the twins love you."

_'What about you?'_

The question flashes in Haruka's mind and he sucks in a breath. That's not supposed to come out. Not when… "I'm just their big brother's best friend."

"You're more than that," Makoto tells him, again with so much sincerity in him that it makes Haruka's fingers twitch around the pen he's still holding, nearly dropping it.

His chest feels tight. Why did he ever think he can do this? Haruka subtly licks his lips, Makoto's eyes follow the movement and Haruka's head feels like it might just explode. How long has that been happening? What is he supposed to do? Their gazes lock back together but Haruka instantly forces himself to look away, fearing that he'll do something impulsive otherwise. "Here." Haruka gives the pen back.

There is uncertainty in the way Makoto takes it, a change in the air that convinces Haruka he's not doing this right. If Rin was here what would he say?

_Hold his hand! Duh! Honestly, Haru!_

Haruka frowns at the decidedly Rin-like voice that invades his mind. If this goes wrong, Haruka will blame everything on Rin. Decision made, Haruka takes the plunge and puts his hand over Makoto's. He doesn't quite cover everything but he has enough grasp to direct their movement.

"H-Haru!" Makoto doesn't sound scandalized so that's already a plus point. He's putting a bit of resistance, though, so Haruka should probably say something to assure him.

"It's okay." Haruka is not entirely sure if those words are for Makoto or for his own peace of mind but he says them anyway. He guides Makoto's hand over the page, swirls of ink trailing in their wake.

Makoto's hand grows steady under Haruka's guidance and together they make steady progress of outlining the spaces to be filled in with ink so as to avoid another blunder. Once the edges have been traced out, Haruka thinks it's time to let go but then Makoto takes the lead, seemingly wanting to keep Haruka's hand over his. They continue working until every square inch of the drawing's hair is sufficiently darkened. Makoto lifts the pen from paper, caps it, and sets it aside. Haruka finally gets enough sense to pull his hand away but he's not quick enough as the door opens and the twins walk in.

"We brought food!" Ran's announcement is cut short, her round eyes zeroing in on Makoto and Haruka huddled together on her side of the study table. "Huh."

Maybe it's just Haruka's imagination but he's pretty sure Ran is staring at his and Makoto's hand. He straightens up, the warmth of Makoto's skin lingering on the palm of his hand as he inconspicuously slides it into his pocket.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Why are you both working on Ran's project?" Ren complains, stepping inside with a tray of sandwiches. "What about my poster?"

"We'll be working on that after we take a snack break," Makoto declares and he starts clearing up the table. Haruka picks up the remaining art materials and follows Makoto's lead of putting them on top of the clothes drawer nearby. As the twins set down the food, Makoto puts a hand on Haruka's shoulder.

There's something meaningful in his eyes that gets Haruka's heart stuttering but Makoto doesn't say a word, he just smiles a smile that can mean anything (or maybe even nothing at all) and walks back to help his siblings.

Since the study table only has two chairs, Makoto gives them to the twins, settling on the floor with Haruka. They eat tuna sandwiches with the crusts off and drink iced tea. No one says anything about what the twins walked in on; thinking of it like that makes Haruka want to smack his subconscious but more importantly...

Haruka looks down at his hand, wondering why he felt ashamed of getting caught before. He finds himself desperate for another excuse to hold Makoto's hand again, properly this time. Does he really need an excuse though? Can't he just... Haruka stops, pulling his hand back in before anyone notices his lame attempt.

This is a lot more complicated than he thought.


	8. Chapter 8

The morning breezes by without much action. Even though they didn't walk to school together, Makoto is waiting for him at the gates when Haruka gets there. Haruka does his best to stay impassive when they meet Kaname along the way. He doesn't have any reason to think unfavorably of her when it's all rooted in envy of her boldness. The way Makoto greets her good morning is nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to suggest that they may have shared something more than goodbyes when he walked her home after their date. Oddly, Haruka still hasn't decided if he's thankful or not for Rin's intervention that night.

Kaname returns the greeting cheerfully, even nodding at Haruka before excusing herself to go meet up with her friends.

They finish lunch at the rooftop with plenty of time to spare before the bell rings. Sitting under the shade of the stairwell, Haruka is thinking of taking a nap when Nagisa starts talking.

"So Haru-chan, did you have a fun weekend?"

Haruka doesn't trust the sheen in Nagisa's eyes. He'd been naive to think that their mall encounter would not be brought up. Rather, he has been too busy thinking about how he'll confess to Makoto that he completely forgot about getting discovered at the mall. It's a bad move on his part seeing as how those unconsidered variables may just ruin his plans. So instead of giving Nagisa the satisfaction of an answer, Haruka clams up and directs a most unaffected look at him instead.

Makoto - caring and attentive Makoto - simply just can't let anything of the vaguest importance pass by; most especially when Haruka is concerned. "We did our homework at my house yesterday," he shares, looking at Haruka with a question tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Mako-chan I said  _fun_." Nagisa's pout turns into a knowing smile as he redirects his attention to Haruka. "How about last Saturday then? Anything exciting?"

At that point even Makoto turns quiet. Haruka debates whether it'll do him any good to stay there getting badgered for misconstrued answers. It only takes a few seconds of consideration before he politely excuses himself, taking his empty lunch box from the ground and descending the stairs. Footsteps echo behind him, Makoto catches up at the fourth floor landing. Haruka bites his tongue, wanting to just explain everything but if he does that it'll make him sound guilty — which he is, but for a whole different reason than what's likely to come to mind.

Makoto walks with him all the way back to their classroom without saying a word. Haruka gauges this silence and deems it worrisome. Makoto wouldn't press him for answers but Haruka wouldn't be surprised if he's trying to deduce the answers by himself. The problem is that Makoto's assumptions will undoubtedly be tainted by Nagisa's insinuative taunts earlier.

The classroom is not entirely empty but it's quiet enough to masquerade the few inside it. Haruka heads to their corner and stuffs his lunch box into his bag.

"I'm going to take a nap," he declares.

Makoto's easy smile fails to hide the turbulence in his eyes. "Alright. I'll wake you up when the teacher arrives."

Nodding, Haruka crosses his arms on top of his desk and lays his head over the makeshift pillow, face turned towards the window. It's far from being a comfortable position but it'll do.

Afternoon classes are over too quickly and club meetings are starting. A handful of new recruits have joined the swim club, encouraged by their achievements from the previous year. They have now doubled in number. The new members are busy doing warm-ups beside the pool but they all stand to attention when their captain and vice-captain arrive.

Makoto greets them with a cheery wave, following Haruka into the locker rooms.

"— then I heard a thump. He fell off his bunk and he's still laughing at me! So I told Rin —" Gou's retelling stops upon hearing their approach. "Ah! Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai! W-We were just…"

Three guilty faces stare up at the pair. Nagisa and Rei already in their swim gear but apparently preferring to gossip rather than train.

"Rin fell off his bunk? Is he okay?" Makoto asks innocently.

Gou nods vigorously.

Haruka does not miss the way his underclassmen are all looking at him as if he should know about it. He doesn't, but he can wager that it probably revolves around him and Rin and the chaotic misunderstanding rooted in the events of last Saturday. Really now, Haruka just wants the subject to be dropped, hopefully forgotten for all eternity.

"Gou, Nagisa, Rei, please oversee the others' warm up exercises," Makoto instructs, sensitive to the mounting tension.

"Sure thing, Mako-chan!" Nagisa jumps up from the bench, fast-walking towards the door with Gou and Rei eagerly going after him.

Haruka senses the niggling worry underneath Makoto's calm request. They change clothes in relative silence but Haruka can almost hear the gears turning in Makoto's head, processing recent information of Rin's involvement in the mystery of Haruka's (apparently fun) Saturday.

They head out and the club meeting takes a serious turn. For an hour and a half, they run drills and work on improving their times based on Coach Sasabe's training regimen drafted the summer before. They're gearing up for a swim tournament sponsored by a famous sports gear brand, a hefty sum can be added to the club's budget if they place among the top three.

Amakata comes by later, giving the team some inspiring quotes as they called it a day.

One by one the club members take their leave. Haruka completes one last lap around the pool, surfacing near the starting block where he remembers Makoto waiting by. However, Makoto isn't alone as he'd expected, he isn't even waiting on Haruka. Makoto's attention is on the swim team manager.

"We all saw him with Rin, honest," Gou is saying, determinedly looking up at Makoto. "At first I only saw my brother and I thought he was spying on me and Seijuurou-"

"Seijuurou? As in the Samezuka Captain?" Makoto's back is turned to Haruka but the intrigue in his voice is unmistakable. "You mean you cancelled practice for a da-"

"You're missing the point Makoto-senpai!" Gou interjects. "The point is I think Haruka-senpai is going out with my brother."

From his place in the water Haruka freezes.

"... Oh. Okay."

Haruka's mouth drops open. Makoto can't seriously think it's okay; his voice is steady but there's a noticeable tension in his body language. Makoto's shoulders are stiff, a tremor running through his fingers.

"Is that really all you have to say…?" Gou fidgets, eyes lowering and catching Haruka watching them. Her face tints red with shame.

Diving back under water, Haruka feels like he'd just been pushed back to square one. He climbs up the pool ladder, finally getting Makoto's notice when he passes him on his way to the locker rooms, dripping wet.

The walk home is charged with tension, the air between them feels thick, unbreathable. Haruka can't help but imagine a guillotine hanging over their heads, dropping lower and lower with every step.

They're at the midpoint of the journey when Makoto finally blurts out, "Gou told me you were with Rin last Saturday."

Haruka bites the inside of his cheek. Makoto isn't accusing him; in fact, it sounds like Makoto is...

"Were you... with him when I called?"

Haruka feels Makoto's eyes on him but he keeps looking forward. He wants to lie but that will only lead to more complications, something that he really wants to avoid. A noncommittal hum sounds from his throat; Makoto knows him well enough to take it as a yes.

"I see..." Makoto is already looking away when Haruka chances a glance at him. "Sorry that I bothered you."

That sentiment might as well have been a punch to the gut. Haruka is riddled with discouragement, for Makoto to say those things must mean that he doesn't mind Haruka being with someone else. In that case, Makoto probably doesn't feel as strongly about him as Haruka initially thought. Haruka purses his lips, lost as to what he's supposed to do now. His heartbeats are slow and the call of the ocean is too loud in his ears. Is it all a mistake, then? Letting Rin convince him that Makoto has romantic feelings for him when it's really nothing more than friendship. Haruka followed Makoto that night because some part of him got scared of losing Makoto to someone else. The way Makoto is acting now upon hearing that he spent time with Rin... it's scarily subdued. Does he feel offended that Haruka didn't tell him about it? That he had to find out from somebody else...

The scenario feels familiar and it gives Haruka the shivers. He can't just let Makoto go on thinking that he's seeing someone else when… when all he's thinking about is how to tell Makoto… tell Makoto...

"... Don't apologize." Haruka keeps staring, hoping for Makoto to look back at him.

Makoto turns, confused like he hasn't expected a reply.

"Rin and I… we're not…" Haruka pushes the words out because he needs to say them, needs to get Makoto to understand. "Not…"

Makoto takes pity on him, nodding to show that he knows where Haruka is headed with that statement. Before Haruka can breathe out in relief, though, Makoto goes on. "It's okay if… if... you know... No judgments."

Haruka thinks he knows his best friend inside out already but… He's honestly confused on how he's supposed to take Makoto's words just now. Lost in thought, Haruka would've passed his own house if Makoto didn't call his attention. Every day - or, at least, every time Haruka doesn't go off on his own - Makoto never fails to deliver him home. It's not just because their houses are along the same way; in fact, Makoto is extending his route by choosing to drop Haruka off before heading home.

It's these little things Haruka has deemed normal, things he wouldn't even bat an eyelash to when asked, that keeps him believing there's a chance that he isn't wrong… that Makoto's heart is beating to the same tune as his own.

"I'll see you..." Makoto makes to leave, not even managing to finish his goodbye, the edges of his smiling mask chipping away as he turns.

"Makoto." Haruka does everything short of grabbing Makoto by the arm to physically stop him. He can't give up over one silly little obstacle. "I'll make your lunch for tomorrow."

Emotion colors the vivid green of Makoto's eyes. They make each other's lunches frequently enough, though it's really more of Mrs. Tachibana making sure that Haruka gets a well-rounded meal as often as possible and Haruka returning the gesture to show her that he  _can_  cook something to pass her standards of good nutrition. Makoto knows all this of course, being stuck in the middle of the unspoken battle, but he always seems a little happier when Haruka cooks for him.

That's what Haruka is counting on. He absolutely refuses to move from his spot, refuses to break eye contact, until he gets his message across. Sometimes, when things get too complicated, it's best to go back to basics.

"O-okay." It may just be a trick of the setting sun but Makoto looks like he's blushing.

* * *

Tuesday morning Haruka gets up early to prepare a lunch for two. He follows a green curry recipe, using fish slices instead of meat. He foregoes a long soak in the bath for a quick shower while waiting for the finished viand to cool down enough to be set into containers.

He's changing into his uniform when the doorbell rings. Haruka opens the door topless, still drying his hair with a towel.

"Good morning, Haru!" Makoto looks considerably happier, a pale halo of the early morning sun shining just behind him. One look at Haruka and he goes into mothering-mode. "You shouldn't be opening doors half-naked! Aren't you cold? Have you had breakfast?"

Haruka lets him in, leaving Makoto in the living room for a few moments so he can put on the rest of his uniform. He returns to find Makoto in the kitchen, wearing one of the spare aprons.

"Can we fast forward to lunchtime, please?" Makoto chuckles, giddy, a serving of rice already set in the two containers he places down on the table.

They finish packing their lunches together, wrapping blue cloth over Haruka's and an orange one for Makoto's.

"Thank you, Haru." Makoto smiles at him like his birthday came early. The sight of it makes Haruka feel like they can finally push yesterday's misunderstanding behind them.

There's a noticeable glee radiating from Makoto; an infectious thing, really, pulling smiles out of everyone he comes into contact with. It's no secret that it's all directed at Haruka.

Haruka, who is still getting used to reading further into his best friend's affectionate expressions, is near certain that he might just burst with the emotion that's swelling inside of him. He feels superbly rewarded for such a small gesture, it's almost embarrassing.

Makoto tones it down when he notices Haruka's discomfort but the sparkle in his eyes never dim.

Come swim practice, the whole team bursts into applause as Makoto beats his personal best. It boosts everyone's morale.

Gou records the improvement on her clipboard, tapping her cheek with the end of her pencil. "I don't think I've seen Makoto-senpai so motivated…"

Nagisa, who has been keeping the time with her, speaks up. "Haru-chan made his lunch today."

"Don't they do that all the time?" Gou asks, signaling for the next batch of swimmers to take their marks.

Coupling his shrug with a smile, Nagisa resets the stopwatch. "Who knows with those two…" He listens for Gou's signal to start the timer, eyes fixed distractedly on the far side of the pool.

At the poolside bench, Haruka straightens up as Makoto heads his way, smiling at him like there's nobody else around. He lifts up a towel for Makoto to use, the inviting sound of splashing water seemingly muted with Makoto now beside him.

"You've got to be fair, you know," Makoto says, droplets from the tips of his bangs cascading down his cheek. "It's tradition that if you cook for me, I'll have to return the favor."

 _You mean your mom has to_ , Haruka replies with a quirk of his brow, sounding unintentionally cheeky even in the privacy of his mind.

"That's only because I can't risk giving you food poisoning." Makoto lets the towel drop to his shoulders. "Or if it's not lunch, how about I buy you dessert tomorrow? Or some snacks after school?"

Haruka shakes his head.

* * *

Makoto is a man of his word. He invites the whole team for snacks at the corner store after their practice the following day. They part in good spirits after that and the original five members proceed on their own path.

Gou leads the way to the train station, chatting about how much Coach Sasabe would approve of their updated status when he comes back to oversee their training tomorrow. Behind her, Nagisa is playfully trying to take a bite of Rei's ice cream sandwich with every other step, much to Rei's chagrin. Taking up the rear are Makoto and Haruka, sharing a popsicle between them.

Haruka remembers being hesitant to try out the cold concoction when he was a child. It's unnatural color only one point in the list of why it's not inviting but Makoto had been insistent, acting like he was obligated to share the wonders of a blue soda-flavored ice cream with his best friend one particularly hot summer. Makoto has always been the one to present opportunities for Haruka to gauge their worth, sharing practically everything he can think of. Haruka makes effort to reciprocate as best as he can but sometimes simple reciprocation isn't enough. Lately, Haruka has been getting certain urges to initiate… well, a lot of things… Just this afternoon, he waited on Makoto at the starting block, pulling the backstroke swimmer out of the pool once he has finished his lap.

When Makoto's hand gripped him tight, Haruka thought he felt an echo of his own pulse in between their palms. Curling his fingers into his own palm now, Haruka sighs at the emptiness. Looking at Makoto, Haruka gets tuned in to the conversation that has been going over his head.

"-should've just gotten your own, Nagisa," Makoto reprimands lightly.

"But I'm a growing boy!" Nagisa protests over the rainbow sprinkles on his ice cream cone.

"That's no excuse." Rei pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, holding his sandwich well-away from Nagisa. Gou just shakes her head at their antics, content with sipping her juice box.

Makoto steps out of the argument with a wry chuckle, turning his attention to the popsicle melting in his right hand.

Looking down at his half of the treat, Haruka bites off a portion, savoring the crackling taste of it on his tongue. Gathering courage, Haruka steps closer to Makoto, their knuckles brushing together, then the back of their hands. Makoto's hand twitches away and Haruka purses his lips, ready to retreat when he feels Makoto's hand press back half a step later. Haruka licks up a drop from the popsicle that threatens to spill on his hand, letting their contact linger until they've gotten used to it.

Gently, Haruka touches two fingers to the side of Makoto's hand, hooking at the edge of his palm, asking for permission. His thumb rests lightly at the back of Makoto's hand, just under his wrist. Trepidation crawls up his skin, making him want to pull away because, really, has has no excuse this time. He's been thinking of holding Makoto's hand a lot, it's warmth, it's solidity, the feeling of it underneath his palm, the way water traces around it when it's clasping his own, firm and secure and…

Makoto shifts. Haruka can feel the weight of his stare, can almost hear the question in his soft exhale. It lasts for maybe two steps... Then Makoto's hand eases up, fingers stretching out and reaching for the rest of Haruka's, guiding him closer until their palms are touching, a loose hold that's almost casual.

There's still a lot of space to fill but the air between them is infused with something… something… uncertain. Haruka knows the tremors he's feeling isn't merely his own. More of the popsicle melts on his tongue. He casts a sideway glance at Makoto, not knowing what to expect.

A furnace opens up in his chest. At least, that's what it feels like. Makoto's smile is as curious as it is knowing. Haruka holds his hand more securely, certain of the blush on his face but it's a trivial concern compared to the way Makoto walks just a little bit closer to him. Even their forearms are brushing now, a slight swing propelling their linked hands back and forth as they make their way.

By the time they reach the train station, everyone has finished their food and they bid each other farewell. Haruka raises his right hand in a subtle wave as the trains start moving, taking Gou and Rei and Nagisa home. He steps back to find Makoto studying him, an intensity that shortens Haruka's breath swimming in his eyes.

"I'll walk you home," Haruka states, sliding the same tentative fingers over Makoto's palm, coaxing him along.

Makoto doesn't raise a question, getting the cue and finding the perfect fit for their hands once again. There's a hitch in his breathing though, an odd lilt in the casual tone he uses to make light conversation.

Instead of going for the uphill route, Haruka leads the way down towards the Tachibana home. He sees Makoto to the doorstep, getting an invite to stay for a while but he declines, slipping his hand out of Makoto's grasp, heart pounding at the look Makoto has fixed upon him.

"Haru."

It's an awe-filled question disguised as his name.

Haruka bows away, hand curled into a slight fist, trying to keep the warmth of Makoto's touch with him. He inclines his head ( _Later_ ) and walks away. The feeling of Makoto watching him stays until he's well inside his own home.

When Makoto calls him up after dinner, his voice is different. Haruka lies in bed listening to Makoto's story about Ren and Ran's art project, the one they made last Sunday. Apparently, the teacher was very impressed and pinned up the works on their bulletin board.

Haruka lets Makoto's words wash over him, warming his skin, evening out his breaths - a personal lullaby.

"Makoto…"

"Are you going to sleep now?"

"Aren't you?"

"Aha, I guess it is getting late…"

"...Not terribly…"

"I heard that yawn."

"..."

"Should I pick you up tomorrow?"

"I'll just meet you at school."

"Okay, then. Sweet dreams, Haru."

"You, too."


	9. Chapter 9

Coach Sasabe is marginally impressed by their performance at the practice but he tells them that if they want to bag first place, they need to do better still. He stares them down like a hawk, barking orders and scaring the newbies but it's for their own good. They can't start being too complacent on their achievements in the past tournaments.

At the end of practice, Amakata confirms that the school will be lending them two vans for transport to the competition venue on Saturday. Most of the team will be doing individual races and they have entered two lineups for the medley relay.

Everyone is excited for the swim meet, making time fly by until they find themselves at the entrance gates of the brand new Iwatobi sports center that's hosting the event. Haruka isn't the least bit worried of the competition, not really. He stands beside Makoto as the team huddles together before entering the grounds.

"Let's all do our best today." Makoto looks everyone in the eye, exuding confidence and warm stability.

Nagisa puts a hand at the center and the rest of them follows. Makoto's hand covers Haruka's. "Iwatobi! Fly! High!"

They throw their hands to the sky, a bright flare of sunlight shines down and gives them strength.

* * *

The sport center empties out as the sun drags its orange rays over the city. Confetti remains are gathered by the custodians and the event banner is untied from the rafters. The awards table is dismantled, shiny trophies already distributed to the deserving winners. Media people have long-ago vacated the premises, eager to finish their stories in order to make it to the morning paper.

Haruka lets the shower wash off the chlorine from his body, scrubbing soap suds out of his hair.

A first place trophy sits by his gym bag, shiny and new. Haruka changes into casuals quickly, walking to the locker room to meet up with Makoto but he doesn't find him alone as expected.

"—stop teasing."

"I would, but it's just so easy." Rin snickers, throwing a playful punch on Makoto's shoulder. "In all honesty, though, Haruka—"

"What about me?" Both Makoto and Rin turn towards him as he approached. Haruka bristles at the sight before him, the coy smirk playing on Rin's face is not helping his case. Rin may mean well but he is brash, something that has no place in Haruka's courting plans.

"Just that you're a slowpoke," Rin jests, implying something else with the quirk of his lips. "Can't believe you actually won the 100m free, but congratulations anyway."

Haruka nods his thanks, taking Makoto's hand. "Rei and Nagisa should be waiting for us. Let's go." He looks Rin right in the eyes, possessive pride lighting his irises as he all but parades his feat. Haruka has grown more comfortable with taking Makoto's hand lately but he reserves the effort for when they're relatively alone together. With Rin around, however, Haruka can't help but feel like he has to prove something considering it's Rin who got him on this track in the first place.

Rin looks slightly impressed.

"Aren't you heading back with your team, Rin?" Makoto asks over his shoulder, ever the concerned friend.

"Told them to go ahead," Rin answers with a shrug, taking large steps to walk beside the pair and pointedly looking down at their hands. His smirk grows bigger at Makoto's obvious blush.

"What's taking them so - Oh, there they are!"

Haruka finds their friends from the swim club waiting outside the sports center… along with some others.

"Big brother! " Gou waves a hand to get their attention. "Over here, you guys!"

"Matsuoka, you know better than to keep us waiting!" Seijuurou scolds, his expression a tone lighter from its usual ferocity.

"And you know better than to stand so close to my sister!" Rin retorts, stomping over, eyes on the foot of distance between the two. "And who told you to wait for me? Everyone else went home. So what—" He pauses, spotting a certain gray-haired swimmer among the pack. "Ai?"

"Ah, yes, senpai?" Aiichiro Nitori looks up from where he'd been busy talking with Nagisa.

"You…" Rin's expression loses part if its severity.

"What's everyone gathered for?" Makoto asks as he and Haruka finally reach the rest.

Haruka does a head count, noticing that Coach Sasabe and Amakata are gone along with the newer members of their swim club.

"Amakata-sensei made sure to get the rest of the team back to school with the vans," Rei explains.

"We got special permission to stay and look around the place," Nagisa adds enthusiastically. "Then Captain Mikoshiba asked Gou-chan out on a date—"

"He what?" Rin bares his pointy teeth at the Samezuka captain.

"—but Gou-chan can't admit that they're actually dating in front of the rest of us—"

"Nagisa-kun!"

"—so it turned into a group date instead!" Nagisa concludes with a bright smile, turning to look at Rei. "Isn't that right, Rei-chan?"

Rei cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, the bright reflection making it impossible to read his eyes. "That is quite the gist of it."

Gou turns towards Seijuurou but Rin forces his way in between them, a frown dragging his mouth in a steep curve.

Seijuurou scratches his cheek with a finger, looking away from Rin. Spotting Aiichiro, he finds his own ammunition. "Matsuoka, how about setting your priorities straight first?"

"What?"

"Nitori's not your manservant, go get your things from the poor guy."

Everyone turns to see that that is indeed the case. Aiichiro has a gym bag slung on each shoulder and in one hand he's holding Rin's 1st place trophy for the 100m butterfly.

"It's no trouble at all, really," Aiichiro says, unthinkingly hugging Rin's trophy to his chest, conscious of suddenly being the center of attention.

As Rin goes to take his belongings from his increasingly flustered underclassman, Makoto turns to Haruka, sharing a knowing glance.

Haruka doesn't really know much about this Nitori kid except for the fact that he's been Rin's roommate for the past two years and that he holds Rin in high regard. He supposes that if anyone can stand being around Rin for so long, it wouldn't be surprising... but Makoto is asking something else now with a gentle squeeze of his hand.

"Should we?" Makoto nods towards the others.

Haruka knows that Makoto is only asking out of formality since everyone else seems to be decided on going out already. The fact that it's been labeled as a group date, though… and that seemingly everyone else has unanimously paired up… it makes Haruka stop and think. It's not really a date, right? They'll most likely just be watching over everyone else. Wouldn't it be awkward, though? To chaperon three sets of couples… A burst of laughter from Makoto brings Haruka out of his musings. He raises his eyebrows in question.

"You were wearing such a serious face, Haru," Makoto explains, thumb brushing the back of Haruka's hand. "We'll just be getting dinner."

"And dessert!" Nagisa pipes in.

"And there's this romantic spot that overlooks the city—" Seijuurou's suggestion is cut off by a loud "No!" from Rin.

"No romantic spots!" Rin puts his foot down on the matter, crossing his arms and daring anyone to contradict him. "Not on my watch."

"Can we please just go?" Rei asks no one in particular. "At this rate the restaurants, will be full by the time we get there."

"We haven't even decided where we'll be dining," Gou says, hands on her hips.

"Right, right, let's get moving." Makoto takes it upon himself to get some semblance of organization within the ragtag bunch.

* * *

They put together four two-person tables in order to accommodate the whole group. Bags are put under the tables, the trophies inside padded accordingly with towels and clothing. Seijuurou takes the lead in ordering their meal, years of having celebratory dinners out with his own team coming into play.

Aiichiro is still trying to back out from the excursion but Seijuurou, who sits beside him, is intent on keeping him around, probably because of how effective a decoy he'd proven himself earlier. Sitting across Aiichiro is Gou and beside her is Rin who is staring Seijuurou down over the serving of sukiyaki.

Makoto is seated on Seijuurou's left with Haruka taking the corner end of the table. Rei changed places with Nagisa earlier, unable to take any more of Rin's teasing at beating him at their race. He has taken it upon himself to serve drinks for everyone from his place across Haruka. Nagisa is already piling beef strips on top of his rice bowl, trying to dispel the negative vibes from Rin by inviting the rest to start digging in or else he'll eat everything and they'd still have to split the bill to pay for his meal.

Haruka cannot recall eating at such a rowdy table before, especially with such a limited space provided. He tries to keep his arms as close to his body as possible with Makoto being continuously asked to pass around food platters with his lengthy reach.

"Mackerel?" Makoto offers the dish to Haruka with a smile. He specifically ordered the dish after Seijuurou asked if they wanted to add anything else to the group meal. It doesn't take a genius to know who it's for.

From Makoto's other side, Haruka can see Rei, Nagisa, and Rin watching their corner, an array of curiosity and amusement showing on their faces. After setting a slice on his plate, Haruka automatically puts another on Makoto's.

"Ah, thanks, Haru," Makoto says, offering the dish to the others then setting it down when no one else expressed interest.

They eat, they banter, Rin stomps on Seijuurou's foot when the redhead attempted to play footsie with Gou under the table. Nagisa eats the most, though it's not exactly surprising, and he still insists on getting dessert. Seijuurou perks up, mentioning a corner cafe that apparently makes the most delicious shortcakes around.

Aiichiro checks the time on his mobile phone. "But the dorm curfew—"

"Is nothing to worry about when you know the right people." Seijuurou waves off his concern with a laugh, patting the shorter swimmer on the back.

"Oi…" Rin's disapproving expression is back, though it's hard to tell if it's because of the suggestion to break school rules or because of Aiichiro almost hitting the ground with the force of Seijuurou's over-enthusiastic gesture.

Haruka has no qualms about staying out late but Makoto and Rei both pause for a moment to text their parents, explaining why they'll be home later than expected. Nagisa's enthusiasm for food brings the group together once more.

Seijuurou makes a point to walk beside Gou, leading them through the maze of streets. He proudly presents the quaint little shop when they reach the place and right beside it is the stairway leading up to higher ground that promises a scenic view of the city's nighttime panorama.

Taking Gou's hand, Seijuurou enters the shop before Rin can spew out some choice words on his trickery. A worried Aiichiro sticks by Rin as Nagisa and Rei are drawn inside by the near-sparkling display of sugary confections at the window. Just looking at the sweets makes Haruka's teeth ache. Adjusting the strap of his bag, Haruka eyes the overlook with interest.

"They have milk tea." Makoto's voice draws Haruka attention, he's looking at the chalkboard menu set up outside but he meets Haruka's gaze when the teen turns towards him. "I can get some to go, if you want."

"Okay." Haruka reaches for his wallet but is stopped by Makoto shaking his head.

"My treat," Makoto tells him, patting his right-hand pocket. "Save us a spot at the top?" He waits for Haruka's affirmative nod before he makes his way into the shop.

"Ai," Rin addresses the teen lingering beside him. "Check that our dear captain isn't doing anything inappropriate with my sister."

"U-Um, okay."

With Aiichiro's departure, Rin turns to Haruka, expression clean as a slate.

Haruka should have expected this.

"So are you together now?" Rin asks.

"I'm working on it," Haruka answers, eyes flicking over to Makoto's smiling image through the glass windows.

"You haven't confessed?" When he gets a shake of the head in response, Rin purses his lips in disbelief. "But you were holding hands. And he ordered your favorite food. And he's buying you a drink."

Haruka shrugs, indicating that none of those were new. Well, the hand-holding is new but he doesn't feel like saying it. Just thinking of it warms him up, a protective shawl against the night's chill.

"This is what I'm talking about," Rin points at Haruka like he's some sort of exhibit. "You two aren't dating but you put up one hell of a convincing act."

"It's not an act," Haruka mutters.

"I know it's not," Rin huffs. "What I'm asking is how long are you planning to drag this out? Makoto's not stupid, he'll figure it out sooner or later."

"Makoto knows," Haruka finally divulges his suspicions. It's impossible for Makoto not to know. He can read Haruka with his eyes closed, Haruka is certain of it. "I'm sure he knows."

"Then what…?" Rin scratches his head, confused with the situation. "What are you waiting for?"

"... I don't know." Haruka shoves his hands into the pockets of his letterman. "I'll figure it out." He turns to the wide stairs, carved from stone and seemingly leading to the star-strewn heavens. There are a few other people making their way up and Haruka remembers that he should be saving a place for him and Makoto up there. He nods a quick goodbye to Rin and ascends the stairs, hearing a faint "You better" followed by the creak of hinges and a faint waft of sugar and coffee.

At the top of the stairs is a moderately-sized park with benches and shrubbery and even a small parking lot on the other end. There's apparently an alternate route at the opposite side but its mainly used by vehicles. The overlook is on his right, a wooden ledge that reaches up to Haruka's chest encloses the perimeter. Seijuurou wasn't kidding when he said the place is a famous romantic spot, couples are everywhere and the space Haruka takes by the ledge has lovers' names etched into the wood.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Makoto turns up five minutes later, a steaming cup in each hand, slightly panting. "Someone should install an escalator here." He laughs, moving to stand beside Haruka.

Haruka takes the cup offered to him, surprised at the coldness of his own hands when they come into contact with Makoto's.

Makoto doesn't comment on it but he covers Haruka's hand and presses it close to the warmth seeping through the cup. "I got you something unsweetened. Careful, it's hot."

Breathing in the milk tea's aroma, Haruka holds his cup securely. "Thank you." He smiles at Makoto, a contented beat setting up a harmony in his chest.

"It's nothing," Makoto replies with a smile of his own, shifting closer to Haruka until their arms were brushing, his body heat travelling the short distance and contributing to defreezing his best friend. They stand together under the velvet night.

The busy noises from the streets are muffled in these higher grounds, conversations murmured to preserve the sanctity of the atmosphere. They sip their drinks in silence.

Haruka mulls over his thoughts, floating at the front of his mind is Makoto's easy expression telling him these shows of affection were nothing out of the ordinary. Just... ordinary, the very same day-to-day occurrences that Haruka has lived through most his life. Makoto has always treated him like this. He can't imagine it changing. For something better, perhaps, but… is there anything better than this?

If Haruka inclined his head just the slightest bit to the left, he'll have Makoto's arm and shoulder to cushion him. He can do it and Makoto wouldn't say anything against it. Makoto would take it as a sign that Haruka's feeling cold (which he is, a little bit) and he'd put his arms around Haruka to give him more warmth.

They could do all that and it would still be ordinary. That's just how they are.

But there is something more, isn't there?

Haruka has noticed an invisible presence surrounding them before; invisible, indomitable, and definitely there. Definitely growing, stronger and stronger until it stops his breath and makes his heart pound in his chest. Those instances started out rare and Haruka thought nothing of them but now… Now he's become used to it. That feeling has become an undercurrent in his veins, generating a wave that makes him feel like he's drowning when the circumstances align — whenever Makoto looks at him, says his name, takes his hand, stays close beside him… Haruka feels it right now.

His cup is empty but his heart is brimming.


	10. Chapter 10

A breeze whips his hair over his eyes, a cold caress to his burning face, Haruka allows it to take away his inhibitions.

Makoto is leaning his weight on the railing, holding up his cup with his left hand, leaving his right — the one closer to Haruka — free. Haruka knows it's not coincidence; it never was.

He reaches out, fitting their hands together, smiling when Makoto's fingers curl over his own without question.

Makoto finishes his drink with no hurry, leisurely lowering the cup from his mouth. He explores Haruka's hand with deft fingers, searching for a cold spot somewhere that he could alleviate.

Haruka quietly admires the seamless connection, his small smile growing as he looks up at Makoto. "You shouldn't indulge me when I'm feeling selfish," he whispers, just loud enough for Makoto to hear.

City lights brighten Makoto's features. He tilts his head, finding his footing in this new tangent running between and around them. "You're the most selfless person I know."

"Not always…"  _Not when it comes to you_. Haruka bites his bottom lip, a guilty flush coloring his cheeks.

"Was the milk tea okay?" It's not the question that Makoto really means to ask but it steers them in the right direction.

"Better than expected," Haruka admits. "Next time, it'll be on me."

"Next time," Makoto repeats, pulling their hands away from the ledge to rest comfortably by their sides. He turns to Haruka, an epiphany waiting to take place in the indecisive stretch of his lips. He leaves his empty cup on the railing right beside Haruka's.

Haruka nods once, unable to hold in his own nervous smile as he sheds his uncertainties for Makoto -  _only Makoto_  - to see. His accelerated heartbeat slows and time stands still for those precious few moments where Makoto peruses his bared soul.

The first relieved laugh breaks out between them, the fog clears and a new understanding enlivens those green eyes. Tremors trace the edge of Makoto's voice, the red tint on his cheeks only partly caused by the November chill. More laughter escapes him, unblemished like a child's and resonating like bells in Haruka's ears.

"Makoto." It feels unbelievably good just saying his name, having the syllables roll off his tongue and touch upon his lips. Haruka still wants to say it, to make it official if nothing else. He's surprised when Makoto brings a hand up to his cheek, a flood of heat surfacing in response to it. They're so close now, closer than either of them have ever dared to before, but Haruka knows Makoto intends to step just a little bit closer. The caress on his cheek is an invitation.

Makoto's hand stills on the curve of his jaw. Hot breath descends unto him, the soothing smell of green tea and cream lingers in the air. Makoto's stare is unwavering.

Haruka breathes him in, eyes closing to savor the moment. Even then he can still feel the intensity contained in this one moment of their lives, he's certain of what's coming now. Lashes flutter and sure enough, Haruka finds his best friend's face within inches of his own. He gives his consent with the minute flicker of his gaze to Makoto's lips, tilting his face up to meet Makoto halfway.

Slowly, carefully, Makoto bridges the gap between them, pressing a chaste kiss on the corner of Haruka's mouth. He pulls back just enough to mirror Haruka's smile.

Haruka is thankful for the solid clasp of their hands. It keeps him standing upright when the rest of his body feels like sea foam ready to melt back into the rolling ocean.

.

.

.

"Was that okay?" Makoto asks , though what he really wants to know is if he can do it again, preferably real soon.

Quiet laughter fills the space between their lips, Haruka doesn't quite know how to handle this feeling; it keeps slipping out. It finds the spaces between their fingers and pulls them together like lacework. It makes his cheeks hurt with the effort to maintain a smile that just keeps growing. It fills his very being with a lightness that even being in the water can't compare.

"You call that a kiss?!" someone catcalls, followed by offended gasps of "Big brother!" and "You just ruined the mood, Rin-chan!"

… Haruka should've known. The flush on Makoto's face is adorable, though. The hand on his cheek is retracted for the purpose of Makoto scratching his nape in embarrassment.

They both turn to confirm that, yes, they are being watched by their friends… along with a few other bystanders who have heard Rin's outburst.

… Did that Aiichiro kid have his phone out?

"W-What are you all doing here?" Makoto tries to be nonchalant but Seijuurou comes up to him, eyes gleaming with purpose.

"You stole my totally perfect date idea," Seijuurou accuses, arms crossed in that menacing pose that all Samezuka swimmers know to fear.

Makoto gulps. "That's not really…"

Eyeing their entwined hands, Seijuurou 'hmph's. "And you set a damn high standard for the rest of us, too."

The others are fast approaching but Seijuurou manages to slip in one more quip before they do. Bumping shoulders with Makoto he adds, "But give me some tips for Gou-kun and we'll call it even. Here's my number." He slips something into Makoto's pocket. Upon noticing that the others are within hearing distance, he puts on his usual energetic persona. "So yes, congratulations, Tachibana-san! Nanase-san!"

Haruka stares at the pocket where Seijuurou deposited his number, wondering if wanting to burn the scrap of tissue paper is a normal reaction. As if reading his thoughts (which is most likely the case), Makoto pulls Haruka around to face the consequences.

* * *

Most of the residents have succumbed to sleep by the time they enter their neighborhood.

Jackets zipped up to ward off the cold, their footsteps echo on the pavement. Makoto is adamant about delivering Haruka to his doorstep this time.

Haruka doesn't look at Makoto, eyes to the side and pouting, heart pitter-pattering to a tune in he's pretty sure he heard from Makoto's iPod some time ago. The Nanase residence looms over them now and Haruka remembers the time Makoto waited for him in the entrance hall, asleep and unfed just so he can deliver the team's sentiments to Haruka; Makoto never needed to say anything, just his presence is enough. And now…

Makoto's fingertips slide away from his palm, moonlight softening his features. "It's pretty late, we can probably afford to sleep in tomorrow. Mom knows about the awards, though, so I'll probably drop by in the afternoon to deliver some sweets."

Under the shadow of the porch roof, Haruka's imagination is running wild. Well, not exactly. It's actually just telling him one thing: to get the good night kiss that started this whole crazy journey. Makoto is still rambling, still stalling, and Haruka shouldn't be enjoying seeing Makoto so flustered but he is. He should really do something about this, though, otherwise they'll remain standing there soaking up each other's presence until daybreak.

"Makoto?"

"Ah, yes?"

"Come here."

Shuffling footsteps bring Makoto into the shade. Haruka reaches out, steadies himself with his hands on Makoto's neck and shoulder. He pushes up on his toes, Makoto's hands find his waist.

Taking his cue, Makoto dips his head, a new glaze coloring his eyes as they come together for a kiss. His chest presses against Haruka's, a responding beat calling him in, calling him closer.

Heat and musk and a reverent sigh that sounds like his name fuses with his body, all of it carrying the singular reality that is Makoto — his indelible presence in Haruka's life. He lets the kiss come to its natural end, mouth sliding away with the sweet taste of Makoto still on his lips. "I'll be there for lunch,"Haruka assures him, wearing a fond smile as he brushes a thumb over Makoto's cheek. "Go home and get some sleep."

Hands squeeze the sides of his waist before dropping. "I will," Makoto acquiesces, fatigue starting to show. It  _has_  been a busy day.

Nodding, Haruka retracts his own hands before the urge to trace Makoto's smile with his fingers overcome him.

* * *

"You watched the tournament? Ah. Thank you… It's alright, you don't have to — Oh, okay. Next week then… I'm at the Tachibanas… We just had lunch…"

The door creaks open and Makoto slips in, softening his steps when he sees Haruka on the phone, sitting on the floor with his back against the side of Makoto's bed.

"Actually, Mrs. Tachibana tends to act even more bothered when I don't show up…"

Makoto doesn't need to ask, he goes around fixing his less-than-tidy belongings — evidence of their recently concluded study session. Makoto has read enough texts of the romantic persuasion to know that he can still use the term without having to add quotation marks; hopefully, it'll stay like that for little while longer.

Haruka tugs at Makoto's hand when he passes by him, pulling the taller teen down. "Makoto is here, you can ask him." He transfers the phone to Makoto's ear, a little reluctant to let go even when Makoto takes hold of the device.

"Y-Yes, hello." Makoto sits up straight. "Mrs. Nanase, hi, how are you? Oh, that's nice. And how is Mr. Nanase? I'm doing well. The tournament? Yes, thank you… It has been a while—"

Haruka shifts, propping an arm over the bed and cradling his face on one hand as he watches Makoto converse with his mom. It's rare to hear that his parents are coming home for no specific reason; they usually schedule their returns for the holidays and special occasions like his birthday. Come to think of it, though, there _is_  a special occasion worth celebrating…

"Really? I'm sure Haru will be happy to — Ah, I see… Thank you for remembering!" Hints of a blush show on Makoto's features. He pouts at the amused grin Haruka is sending his way, looking up just in time to witness Ren and Ran barging into his room, shouting, "Game time! Game time!"

Haruka turns to the twins, lifting a finger to his lips to quiet them.

Curiosity brings the younger Tachibanas over, piling on Haruka's lap to try and hear who Makoto is talking to.

"Sorry about that, Ren and Ran just came in," Makoto explains to the receiver. "Yes, they're alright. We're going to play video games with Haru… Eh? I mean, I'd love to a-and that's very generous of you but I should probably ask mom about it first… Okay, hold on." He covers the mouthpiece with his hand, giving an apologetic smile, "Can I take this for a moment? I have to—"

"Go ahead." Haruka watches Makoto exit the room in a hurry. He finds the twins observing him when he finally tears his eyes away from the door.

"What's big brother talking about?" Ren asks.

"My parents will be in town next weekend," Haruka explains. "Would you like to join us for lunch? Or maybe dinner?" Haruka feels his heart swell at the excitement that brightens the young faces before him.

"Of course we do!" Ren bursts out in a smile.

"Oh! Oh! I want to be the bridesmaid!" Ran adds, getting her brother's attention. "Like Kimiko-chan at Uncle's wedding, remember? She was so pretty in that puffy gown!"

"B-Bridesmaid?" Haruka shouldn't be blushing at the idea but he is.  _Where do these kids get these ideas…?_

Ran pouts at him. "You're getting married to Makoto, aren't you?"

"That's why we're meeting your family." Ren says it like it's obvious, Ran nodding beside him.

"Um." The first time Haruka sees them in complete agreement with each other and it's over a wedding.  _His and Makoto's hypothetical wedding_. Haruka doesn't know what to think. It's all too sudden. And isn't it a bit too early in their relationship to start considering those kinds of things? Despite those facts, Haruka still can't dispel the idea now that it has been introduced to him.

"—I'll do my best. Thank you." Makoto comes back before the twins can unleash more questions at him, before Haruka starts questioning himself.

He breathes a sigh of relief.

"I'll give the phone back to Haru now. Yes, okay, we'll see you then."

Haruka takes the device, glad to have Makoto take the kids from him using the game console as a lure. "It's me. Hm? Lunch. Saturday. Okay, got it… Take care. Bye." His mom ends the call and the screen of his phone goes dark as the TV lights up to display the brand's logo.

As Ren and Ran start their usual argument about which game they'll play first, Makoto glances Haruka's way.

His heart beats just a little faster.

* * *

"They think we're getting married," Haruka shares over the phone that night, lying in bed with his eyes closed.

"Who?" Makoto asks, a tinge of surprise in his tone.

"Ren and Ran."

"T-They do?"

"Mm-hm."

"What gave them that idea? Did you tell them?"

"This isn't the kind of thing you tell eleven-year olds… No, they got it from our lunch plans for next week."

"You mean with your parents?"

"The very same."

"Well, it  _does_  sound like…"

"Makoto."

A laugh. "I'm kidding, Haru..."

"..."

"... Aren't we, though?"

"Huh?"

"Getting married…"

Haruka presses his burning face into the pillow. " _Makoto_ …"

"Sorry, sorry. I was just teasing…"

"Don't joke about those things," Haruka mumbles.

"Sorry."

"..."

"It's late enough that we've resorted to talking nonsense... We've still got school tomorrow. The principal's probably going to call us up again for the morning ceremony... What do you think, Haru?"

"..."

"... Haru? Are you mad?"

"If it's legalized here."

"E-Eh?"

"That's my answer."

Silence comes from Makoto's end and Haruka waits it out, a little scared and a little hopeful. He's been thinking about the matter since that afternoon, trying to make a list for why he should  _not_  consider it and so far finding only that one thing. That one inconsequential thing that detracts nothing from how he truly feels.

A heave of breath and Makoto comes back on the line. "Even if it isn't..."

Haruka's breath hitches.

"I'll still be yours." Makoto whispers like it's his deepest secret. "I don't think I can just stop after all this time. I don't want to."

Static resounds and Haruka thinks he's heard a sniffle. He knows better than to address it, though, choosing instead to remember every last detail of Makoto's revelation. Haruka presses a hand over his chest, a sure imprint of Makoto's words carved within the heart that's pulsing underneath.  _I wouldn't want you to, either._

"...I sound like a total sap," Makoto laughs, a yawn buried underneath.

"No. You sound just like you," Haruka assures him, voice carrying his smile.  _The very same you that I love._  "And you sound tired. We should sleep."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"And the day after that."

"And the day after that?"

Haruka just sighs, it's only been one day. "Goodnight, Makoto."

"Sweet dreams, Haru."

* * *

The door opens and an exasperated Makoto steps in. "I should've known."

Haruka sits up with a smile. "Good morning."

Makoto just shakes his head. "You know better than this, Haru-chan..." He extends an open palm, a kind gaze.

_Some things never change._

Taking the offered hand, Haruka smoothly rises from the lukewarm water. He steps out of the tub, gripping Makoto's hand securely, lovingly. A kiss is planted on his forehead, pressed over his wet bangs.

_And some things do._

"Let's get you to school..."

* * *

**END**

 


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